https://gineipaedia.com/w/index.php?title=Special:Contributions/WalkerEmp&feed=atom&limit=50&target=WalkerEmp&year=&month=Gineipaedia, the Legend of Galactic Heroes wiki - User contributions [en-gb]2024-03-28T18:30:52ZFrom Gineipaedia, the Legend of Galactic Heroes wikiMediaWiki 1.16.0https://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Battle_of_Marr-AdettaBattle of Marr-Adetta2023-09-02T16:18:50Z<p>WalkerEmp: </p>
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<div>{{infobox/battle<br />
| battle = Battle of Marr-Adetta<br />
| campaign =<br />
| war = Second Alliance-Imperial War<br />
| image-top = MarrArdetta.PNG<br />
| caption-top = The Fahrenheit Fleet moving to encircle the Alliance fleet<br />
| date = 16 January {{d|800|uc}}<br />
| location = [[Marr-Adetta Starzone]]<br />
| result = Major Imperial victory<br />
| belligerents1 = [[Free Planets Alliance]]<br />
| belligerents2 = [[New Galactic Empire]]<br />
| units1 = [[Free Planets Star Fleet]]<br />
| units2 = [[Lohengramm Fleet]]<br>[[Mittermeyer Fleet]]<br>[[Fahrenheit Fleet]]<br>[[Eisenach Fleet]]<br>[[Müller Fleet]]<br>[[Black Lancers]]<br />
| commanders1 = [[Alexandre Bewcock]]{{kia}}<br>[[Ralph Carlsen]]{{kia}}<br>[[Marinetti]]<br>[[Zernial]]<br />
| commanders2 = [[Reinhard von Lohengramm]]<br>[[Wolfgang Mittermeyer]]<br>[[Neidhart Müller]]<br>[[Adalbert von Fahrenheit]]<br>[[Ernst von Eisenach]]<br>[[Alfred Grillparzer]]<br>[[Bruno von Knappstein]]<br />
| strength1 = 20,000 warships<br />
| strength2 = 100,000+ warships<br />
| losses1 = >16,000 ships<br />
| losses2 = >25,000 ships<br />
}}<br />
<br />
The '''Battle of Marr-Adetta Starzone''' (Japanese: '''マル・アデッタ星域会戦''') was the first and only major battle of the [[Second Alliance–Imperial War]].<br />
<br />
==History==<br />
In {{d|800|uc}}, {{rank|fpa|fleet admiral}} [[Alexandre Bewcock]] commanded the last remaining fleet in the [[Free Planets Alliance]], numbering 20,000 ships, in a desperate attempt to turn back the [[New Galactic Empire]]. Knowing that his vastly outnumbered fleet was also deficient in battleships and carriers due to the enforced demolition stipulated by the [[Treaty of Ba‘alat]], Bewcock chose to make a stand in the easily defensible [[Marr-Adetta Starzone]]. The Marr-Adetta Starzone had no planetoids exceeding 120km in diameter and was composed of 3 large dense belts of asteroids. The star itself was unstable with intense bursts of radiation and strong solar winds impairing communications. The main Alliance force deployed at the mouth of a narrow clear and navigable tunnel in one of the asteroid belts which measured 920,000km in length and 40,000km in width.<br />
<br />
The opening salvos of the battle were fired at 10:30 on 16 January {{d|800|uc}}. Within 20 minutes, Bewcock's fleet had commenced an orderly fighting withdrawal into the tunnel, pursued by the fleets of [[Alfred Grillparzer]] and [[Bruno von Knappstein]], with Grillparzer's fleet taking the vanguard. Knowing the star was unstable, Bewcock ordered the Alliance fleet to tether themselves securely with clamps to the shadowed dark side of large asteroids. At 11:20, there was an increased burst of solar flare activity and intensified solar wind which sent a flurry of small asteroids into the Imperial fleets, causing confusion and some ship losses from collisions. Grillparzer ordered his ships to stay clear of the asteroids at the edges of the tunnel, but this led to his fleet massing together and presenting a densely packed target to Bewcock's fleet, which had remained unscathed from the asteroids due to their tethers. Taking increased losses from Bewcock's concentrated firepower, Grillparzer withdrew from the tunnel, though his fleet sustained further losses from a second burst of solar activity that sent more asteroids careening through his fleet. Grillparzer's flagship, ''[[Eistla]]'', suffered damage in the withdrawal and his fleet had sustained 30% losses. Bewcock declined to pursue Grillparzer out of the tunnel, all too aware that Grillparzer and the main body of the much larger Imperial fleet had deployed in a counterattack envelopment formation at the exit from the tunnel. <br />
<br />
At 12:10, the damaged Grillparzer Fleet was ordered to withdraw, to be replaced by the Knappstein Fleet which was ordered to enter the tunnel and engage the Alliance forces. This was meant to divert the Alliance's attention from the Fahrenheit Fleet which was passing around the Alliance's left flank into the Alliance rear by going through another more distant navigable section of the asteroid belt. The Knappstein Fleet was met with fierce Alliance fire upon entry into the tunnel and dispersed into smaller groups hugging the edges of the tunnel in order to present a more diffuse target. However some of the ships of these smaller formations became isolated in the small spaces between asteroids and were picked off by concentrated Alliance fire. Knappstein's advance quickly stalled. <br />
<br />
When the Fahrenheit Fleet began advancing into the tunnel, Bewcock's fleet quickly turned around and advanced to engage Fahrenheit head on. Seeing that the Alliance had been prepared for an attack, Fahrenheit backed his fleet out of the tunnel, planning to engage Bewcock as the Alliance fleet emerged. Meanwhile, Knappstein attempted to advance further when he saw Bewcock turn away from him, but was faced by multiple dense layers of [[space mine|mines]] deployed by Bewcock, forcing Knappstein to stop to clear them with his point defence weapons. At this point, a smaller Alliance detachment under the command of [[Ralph Carlsen]] emerged from where it had been hiding among the asteroids and hit the left flank of the Fahrenheit Fleet. <br />
<br />
({{logh|071|072}})<br />
<br />
[[Category:Battles|Marradetta starzone battle of]]</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Dayan_KhanDayan Khan2023-05-28T09:54:33Z<p>WalkerEmp: </p>
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<div>[[File:Dayan Khan 2 (BD).jpg|thumb|right|300px|The supply base Dayan Khan ({{d|799|uc}})]]<br />
'''Dayan Khan''' (Japanese: '''ダヤン・ハーン''') was an abandoned [[Free Planets Alliance]] supply base in [[Polysoon Starzone]], constructed in the interior of a hollowed-out asteroid, which served as the headquarters of the small resistance force led by [[Willibald Joachim von Merkatz]] that was secretly formed out of surviving ships from the [[Yang Fleet]] following the [[Battle of Vermilion]] and the surrender of the Free Planets Alliance to the [[Galactic Empire]] in May {{d|799|uc}}.<br />
<br />
==Appendices==<br />
===Appearances===<br />
<div class="appear"><br />
*{{logh}}<br />
**{{e|055}} (first appearance)<br />
</div><br />
<br />
===Background information===<br />
The name ''Dayan Khan'' refers to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batum%C3%B6ngke_Dayan_Khagan Batumöngke Dayan Khan], an emperor (or khagan) who ruled post-imperial Mongolia around the turn of the 16th century.<br />
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[[Category:Free Planets Alliance]]<br />
[[Category:Asteroids]]</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/L%C3%B6wenbrunnenLöwenbrunnen2023-04-20T08:43:04Z<p>WalkerEmp: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[File:New Palace Löwenbrunnen.jpg|thumb|right|300px|A scale model of Löwenbrunnen ({{d|800|uc}})]]<br />
'''Neues Schloß Löwenbrunnen''' (Japanese: '''ルーヴェンブルン''') was the planned palace for the [[New Galactic Empire]] on the planet [[Fezzan]]. It was expected to take at least ten years to complete. After the untimely death of [[Bruno von Silberberch]], who was in charge of overseeing its construction, [[Reinhard von Lohengramm]] decided to place the construction on hiatus but in the end he was dissuaded against that by Silberberch's successor [[Gluck]]. ({{logh|077|087}})<br />
<br />
==Appendices==<br />
===Appearances===<br />
<div class="appear"><br />
*{{logh}}<br />
**{{e|077}} (model)<br />
**{{e|087}} (model)<br />
</div><br />
<br />
===Name variations===<br />
*'''Löwenbrunnen''' (Translation of Japanese, derived from <abbr title="LaserDisc">LD</abbr><span class=lr-1px>/</span><abbr title="Digital Versatile Disc">DVD</abbr> dialogue)<br />
*'''ルーヴェンブルン''' (Derived from <abbr title="LaserDisc">LD</abbr><span class=lr-1px>/</span><abbr title="Digital Versatile Disc">DVD</abbr> dialogue — Japanese)<br />
*'''Rubenburg''' (CentralAnime subtitles)<br />
*'''Rubenbrung''' (CentralAnime subtitles)<br />
<br />
===Background information===<br />
Löwenbrunnen is German for "lion fountain", and is apparently the source of the metonym "the seven fleet admirals of the lion fountain" (Japanese: 獅子の泉の七元帥) which is used to describe the seven distinguished fleet admirals ([[Wolfgang Mittermeyer]], [[August Samuel Wahlen]], [[Ulrich Kesler]], [[Ernest Mecklinger]], [[Ernst von Eisenach]], [[Neidhart Müller]], and [[Fritz Joseph Bittenfeld]]) who led the Lohengramm dynasty after the passing of Kaiser Reinhard.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Buildings]]</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Ion_Fazekath_(person)Ion Fazekath (person)2023-04-20T08:33:09Z<p>WalkerEmp: </p>
<hr />
<div>'''{{i|Ion Fazekath}}''' (Japanese: '''イオン・ファゼカス号''') were two children who lived on [[Altair VII]] circa {{d|473|uc}}. One day [[Arle Heinessen]] saw Fazekath playing with toy bots carved out of ice, and this inspired him to construct a [[Ion Fazekath|massive starship]] which he would use to lead the people of Altair VII out of [[Imperial]] space. This ship, built out of dry ice, was named in the both's honor. ([[Legend of Galactic Heroes Volume 1: Dawn]])<br />
<br />
==Appendices==<br />
===Name variations===<br />
*Ion Fazegas (novels)<br />
<br />
[[Category:People]]</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Bruno_von_SilberberchBruno von Silberberch2023-04-18T16:10:35Z<p>WalkerEmp: /* New Imperial Capital */</p>
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<div>{{infobox/character<br />
| image-top = Bruno von Silberberch (BD).jpg<br />
| caption-top = Minister '''Silberberch''' ({{d|799|uc}})<br />
| gender = Male<br />
| affiliation = [[Galactic Empire]]<br />
| occupation = Minister of industry (former)<br />
| status = Deceased (murder)<br />
| died = <br />
| actor = [[Yamadera Kōichi]]<br />
}}<br />
'''Bruno von Silberberch''' (Japanese: '''ブルーノ・フォン・シルヴァーベルヒ''') was an [[Galactic Empire|Imperial]] minister of industry who served under Kaiser [[Reinhard von Lohengramm]] beginning in {{d|799|uc}}; he had briefly held the same office under then Prime Minister Lohengramm during the [[Goldenbaum Dynasty|previous dynasty]].<br />
<br />
==Political career==<br />
===New Imperial Capital===<br />
Silberberch was appointed minister of industry on {{cn-span|1 January {{d|798|uc}}|Either this is wrong or his 'first appearance' is, because episode 055 took place in June 799}}, the same day Lohengramm formed the [[Ministry of Industry]]. His first task was to organise and oversee the transfer of the Imperial Capital to the planet [[Fezzan]], which would include the construction of the [[New Imperial City]] ({{logh|055}}) and [[New Palace Löwenbrunnen]].<br />
<br />
Following Reinhard's ascension to the throne later that year, Silberberch was incorporated into the first Imperial cabinet of the [[Goldenlöwe Dynasty]]. ({{logh|057}})<br />
<br />
==Personality==<br />
Extremely self-confident in his own abilities, Silberberch had a reputation for being abrasiveness. When they first met, Reinhard asked him what qualities he thought would be necessary for a minister of industry. Silberberch said:<br />
<br />
:''First, the ability to understand the overall body politic. Also the ability to execute logistics and govern the organisation.''<br />
<br />
Silberberch claimed to possess at least two of those abilities. ({{logh|055}})<br />
<br />
He had great aspirations for the future of the Empire. He foresaw the war ending and a power shift from the military to the civilian ministries. He also spoke of his desire to one day become the Imperial Prime Minister, saying that it was not a lust for control, only to acquire the necessary position and power to freely be able to complete the works he had dreamed up. More specifically, he said he wanted to create massive projects that have never seen before in history. In this way he was not unlike Kaiser [[Reinhard]] himself, a man who desired only the power necessary to accomplish their goals rather than vying for power for the sake of personal advancement. He was indispensable as Minister of Industry, so much so that when he fell ill for a week, all of the construction on [[Fezzan]] became immediately backlogged before being just as immediately sorted out by the Silberberch on his return to work.<br />
<br />
==Death==<br />
Upon attending a dinner with the other most important Imperials on Fezzan in late March of the year {{d|800|uc}}, a bomb, set up by previous Landesherr [[Adrian Rubinsky]], detonated and sent debris flying throughout the party. The device itself appears to have had a relatively low yield as [[Oberstein]], [[Lutz]], and [[Nicholas Boltik|Boltik]] all escaped with relatively minor injuries. Silberberch would have also likely been spared, however a stray piece of shrapnel from the explosion had lodged itself in the front of his brain, and while he received immediate medical treatment, his injury was too much to overcome, and he passed away later on in the night.<br />
<br />
==Appendices==<br />
===Appearances===<br />
<div class="appear"><br />
*{{logh}}<br />
**{{e|055}} (first appearance)<br />
**{{e|057}}<br />
**{{e|065}}<br />
**{{e|066}}<br />
**{{e|077}}<br />
</div><br />
<br />
===Name variations===<br />
*'''Bruno von Silberberch''' (<abbr title="Digital Versatile Disc">DVD</abbr><span class="lr-1px">/</span><abbr title="Blu-ray Disc">BD</abbr> subtitles)<br />
*'''Bruno von Silverberche''' (<abbr title="LaserDisc">LD</abbr> subtitles)<br />
*'''ブルーノ・フォン・シルヴァーベルヒ''' (<abbr title="LaserDisc">LD</abbr><span class="lr-1px">/</span><abbr title="Digital Versatile Disc">DVD</abbr> subtitles — Japanese)<br />
*'''Bruno von Schilverberch''' (Japanese fan sources)<br />
<br />
===Background information===<br />
{{cleanup-span|The name ''Silberberch'' is Low German for ''Silberberg'', which means ''Silver Mountain''.}}<br />
<br />
{{navbox/officials/Goldenlöwe}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Politicians|Silberberch bruno von]]<br />
[[Category:Imperial citizens|Silberberch bruno von]]<br />
[[Category:Nobility|Silberberch bruno von]]</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/L%C3%B6wenbrunnenLöwenbrunnen2023-04-18T16:07:29Z<p>WalkerEmp: </p>
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<div>[[File:New Palace Löwenbrunnen.jpg|300px|thumb|Model of the New Palace Löwenbrunnen]]<br />
<br />
'''New Palace Löwenbrunnen''' (新宮殿ルーヴェン ブルン) is the project to build the imperial palace of the [[Neue Reich]] on the planet [[Fezzan]]. It is expected to take at least ten years to complete.</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/File:New_Palace_L%C3%B6wenbrunnen.jpgFile:New Palace Löwenbrunnen.jpg2023-04-18T16:06:27Z<p>WalkerEmp: from Episode 77</p>
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<div>from Episode 77</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/L%C3%B6wenbrunnenLöwenbrunnen2023-04-18T16:03:53Z<p>WalkerEmp: </p>
<hr />
<div>'''New Palace Löwenbrunnen''' (新宮殿ルーヴェン ブルン) is the project to build the imperial palace of the [[Neue Reich]] on the planet [[Fezzan]]. It is expected to take at least ten years to complete.</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/New_Galactic_EmpireNew Galactic Empire2023-04-18T16:02:00Z<p>WalkerEmp: </p>
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<div>[[File:Goldenloewe flag.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Flag of the New Galactic Empire]]<br />
The '''New Galactic Empire''' or '''Neue Reich''' was founded by [[Reinhard von Lohengramm]] in {{d|799|uc}}, following the conquest of the [[Free Planets Alliance]] at the end of the first [[Alliance–Imperial War]]. The capital of the New Galactic Empire, is the [[New Imperial Capital]], located on the planet [[Fezzan]]. Its flag was a golden winged lion rampant on a crimson red background. The crest as depicted on warships was a winged lion leaping towards the viewer. <br />
<br />
==History==<br />
===Foundation===<br />
After defeating the [[High Nobles]] in the [[Imperial Civil War]] and deposing Imperial Minister of State [[Klaus von Lichtenlade]], [[Reinhard von Lohengramm]] was the sole political and military authority in the [[Galactic Empire]]. Reinhard immediately began reorganizing the social and political structure of the empire: he abolished the caste system and redistributed the property and assets of the nobles; he instituted many progressive legal and social welfare reforms; and he eliminated corruption and graft within the Imperial government. ({{logh|027}})<br />
<br />
When former High Nobles abducted the young figurehead of the [[Goldenbaum Dynasty|old Imperial line]], Kaiser [[Erwin Josef II]] to the [[Free Planets Alliance]] to establish a [[Galactic Empire Legitimate Government|government-in-exile]] in {{d|797|uc}}, Reinhard, with overwhelming popular support, declared his intention to [[Operation Ragnarok|invade the Free Planets Alliance]] and to eliminate the vile High Nobles once and for all. ({{logh|037}})<br />
<br />
Reinhard seized control of the [[Dominion of Fezzan]], making the formerly autonomous (and neutral) territory the forward-base for his invasion of the Free Planets Alliance. Overconfident in the defensive abilities of [[Iserlohn Fortress]], the Alliance was unprepared for Reinhard's invasion. The Alliance hastily mustered its fleets and placed them under the command of veteran admiral [[Alexandre Bewcock]], who attacked the Imperial invasion forces in the [[Rantemario Starzone]]. The [[Battle of Rantemario]], despite the timely intervention of the [[Yang Fleet]], saw the near-obliteration and utter defeat of the Alliance forces. ({{logh|048}})<br />
<br />
In a last-ditch effort to fend off the invaders, [[Yang Wen-li]] attacked Reinhard's personal fleet when it was isolated from the other invading fleets in the [[Vermilion Starzone]], hoping to destroy the [[Brunhild]] and kill Reinhard, thus throwing the Imperial forces into confusion and disarray. Despite managing to claim a tactical victory in the [[Battle of Vermilion]], Yang was forced to surrender to Reinhard after two Imperial fleets led by admirals [[Ruenthal]] and [[Mittermeyer]] conquered the capital planet of [[Heinessen]], forcing the Alliance [[Supreme Council]] to surrender unconditionally. ({{logh|051|052|053}})<br />
<br />
Reinhard von Lohengramm generously allowed the Free Planets Alliance to retain their sovereignty and the right to self-rule when the [[Alliance–Imperial War]] was formally brought to a close with the [[Treaty of Ba‘alat]]. Returning to [[Odin]] with the whole universe conquered by his own hand, [[Reinhard von Lohengramm]] forced [[Catherine I]] to abdicate her throne, and declared himself emperor of the New Galactic Empire on the twentieth day of June {{d|799|uc}}. A new calendar, the [[New Imperial Calendar]] was started to mark the creation of the new pan-galactic state. ({{logh|054}})<br />
<br />
[[File:Lohengramm crest on Koenigs Tiger.jpg|thumb|left|190px|The Lohengramm crest]]<br />
<br />
===Second Alliance–Imperial War===<br />
{{main|Second Alliance–Imperial War}}<br />
Rather than forcefully absorb the [[Free Planets Alliance]] into his new empire, Kaiser [[Reinhard von Lohengramm]] allowed the Alliance government to maintain a high level of autonomy, with duly-elected Supreme Chairman [[João Rebelo]] governing over the Alliance territories under the limited supervision of Imperial Admiral [[Helmut Lennenkampf]], who acted in the role of "Imperial High Commissioner" on [[Heinessen]]. Rebelo would be forced to limit the freedoms of the Alliance citizens in order to avoid conflict with the Empire, and the Alliance economy would inevitably falter due to the sudden lack of wartime conditions. By allowing Rebelo to lead the Alliance, Reinhard constructed the circumstances in such a way that public opinion would inevitably turn against Rebelo, culminating with the people of the Alliance resenting their own government. The Neue Reich, by comparison, would seem benign, hastening the absorption of the Alliance into the Empire.<br />
<br />
The increasing stress of office coupled with the anger of the people quickly proved too much for João Rebelo to bear, and his mental state became increasingly unstable as his time in office wore on: Rebelo forced himself to make hard, morally ambiguous decisions, believing that he had to do whatever necessary in order to preserve the autonomy of the Alliance. In late July {{d|799}}, following admiral [[Willibald Joachim von Merkatz]]'s raid on the Alliance warships that had been marked for decommissioning in accordance with the [[Treaty of Ba‘alat]], Rebelo ordered the arrest and, soon after, the execution of Alliance war hero [[Yang Wen-li]]. His plan to turn Yang into a martyr for the Alliance and shift the blame to his former subordinates so as to preserve the semblance of Alliance independence failed however when the [[Rosen Ritter]] proved to be too strong for the remaining Alliance troops in [[Heinessenpolis]] to handle. The Rosen Ritter managed to rescue not only Yang, but also kidnapped Rebelo and Lennenkampf so as to secure a passage of freedom for Yang. When news of the crisis in Heinessen reached Reinhard, he saw it as a perfect opportunity to subjugate the Alliance once and for all and initiated the Second Alliance–Imperial War. ({{logh|060|061|062|067}})<br />
<br />
===Reuenthal's Revolt===<br />
{{main|Reuenthal's Revolt}}<br />
...<br />
<br />
===The Iserlohn Republic===<br />
<br />
The New Galactic Empire did not formally recognise the formation of the [[Iserlohn Republic]] in {{d|800|uc}}. With the shifting of the Imperial capital to [[Fezzan]], Iserlohn fortress lost its strategic importance. Reinhard's primary motivation for re-taking the fortress had been to fight against Yang Wen-li again. With Yang and the fortress's strategic importance both gone, the New Galactic Empire ignored the Republic. <br />
<br />
When [[Oskar von Reuenthal]] revolted, precipitating another civil war in the Empire, Reuenthal made an offer to the Republic. He offered restoration of the Alliance's former territory if the Republic would side with him and bar the passage of Imperial reinforcements through the Iserlohn Corridor. After consideration, [[Julian Mintz]] declined the offer and allowed the Mecklinger Fleet of 11,900 ships to pass. ({{logh|101}})<br />
<br />
Eventually in {{d|801|uc}}, the Republic decided to challenge the Empire militarily in order to demonstrate to former Alliance citizens that they were still dedicated to the ideals of republican democracy and to demonstrate to Reinhard that they had the strength to be worthy of negotiations with him. The resulting [[Eleventh Battle of Iserlohn]] was a victory for the Republic. As predicted, the defeat spurred Reinhard into action, eventually culminating in the [[Battle of Shiva]]. This final battle resulted in Reinhard agreeing to an armistice and equitable peace negotiations. ({{logh|102|108}})<br />
<br />
Ultimately, in return for the return of Iserlohn fortress and the dissolving of the Iserlohn Republic, the New Galactic Empire agreed to the Ba'alat star system, including the planet Heinessen, becoming an internally self-governing autonomous zone, and the possibility of constitutional reforms and greater representative rule in the Empire as a whole. ({{logh|109|110}})<br />
<br />
===Death of the Emperor===<br />
All that is known of the Kaiser after his death is that a massive state funeral was to be held around a week after his death.<br />
<br />
It is, however, a safe assumption that as founder of a new dynasty, Kaiser Reinhard would have had a post death status equalling, if not surpassing, that of Kaiser Rudolph. His death would also have likely caused some doubt to fester about the Kaiserin's ability to rule over an empire that so rapidly restructured and expanded. This could have been negated by Oberstein's seemingly flawless contingencies that would have certainly been put in place before his death. The loyalty and respect Kaiser Reinhard had from the admirals and ministers would also serve foreseeably as deterrents to any other attempts to seize the throne.<br />
<br />
===Possible transition to Constitutional Monarchy===<br />
It is unknown what the constitution of the New Galactic Empire contained, or more importantly, if there was one. Kaiser Reinhard's last words to the Kaiserin gave her express permission to allow a constitution and parliament if she deemed it the best course of action. Kaiser Reinhard's own feelings were revealed during his conversations with [[Julian Mintz]], in which the Kaiser expressed his distrust in constitutionalism due to the possibility that it would lead to a completely democratic society, which in his opinion led to mediocrity and the stifling of the talented and driven individual. However, he would no doubt have been simultaneously aware of the possibility of his dynasty repeating the same path of stagnation and decay as the [[Goldenbaum Dynasty]]. Kaiserin Hildegard was known to be very adept at governmental administration, however it is difficult to judge whether or not she would have led the Empire to some form of limited constitution.<br />
<br />
==Culture==<br />
===Society===<br />
<br />
===Law===<br />
As early as in the months immediately after the Imperial Civil War, before the Goldenbaum Dynasty was officially removed, then-Imperial Prime Minister Reinhard von Lohengramm began reforms liberalizing Imperial law. Legal privileges for the nobility were abolished, freedom of speech and of the press was protected, a new tax code was implemented, and the traditional feudal caste system that prevailed under the ''ancien regime'' was done away with, among other reforms. The former [[Department of Social Discipline]], the Goldenbaum Dynasty's secret police, was also abolished. ({{logh|027|041}})<br />
<br />
Nonetheless, politically the Empire remained an authoritarian monarchy, with the [[Internal Security Department]] being created as the new secret police, led by the former head of the Social Discipline Office [[Heydrich Lang]]. ({{logh|041}})<br />
<br />
The Ministry of Justice was presumably the main legal authority, with [[Bruckdorf]] serving as the New Empire's Minister of Justice from {{d|799|uc}}. ({{logh|057}})<br />
<br />
===Legacy===<br />
<br />
==Appendices==<br />
===Background information===<br />
*The New Galactic Empire was a legal evolution of the old [[Galactic Empire]], which was also a legal evolution of the [[Galactic Federation]].<br />
*The [[Imperial Senate]]/[[Galactic Parliament]] was reformed as an integral part of the New Imperial government, and it may have become the primary ruling body of the New Empire if it were to transition to a constitutional monarchy.<br />
<br />
==Appendices==<br />
===Background information===<br />
*"Neue Reich" translates to "New Empire," or "New Realm."<br />
<br />
[[Category:Galactic Empire]]</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/L%C3%B6wenbrunnenLöwenbrunnen2023-04-18T16:01:20Z<p>WalkerEmp: Created page with "'''New Palace Löwenbrunnen''' (新宮殿ルーヴェン ブルン) is the project to build the imperial palace of the Neue Reich. It is expected to take at least ten years t..."</p>
<hr />
<div>'''New Palace Löwenbrunnen''' (新宮殿ルーヴェン ブルン) is the project to build the imperial palace of the [[Neue Reich]]. It is expected to take at least ten years to complete.</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Reinhard_von_LohengrammReinhard von Lohengramm2023-02-12T15:21:05Z<p>WalkerEmp: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{infobox/character<br />
| image-top = Reinhard_8.jpg<br />
| caption-top = Kaiser '''Reinhard''' ({{d|801|uc}})<br />
| gender = Male<br />
| affiliation = [[Galactic Empire]]<br />
| rank = [[Military ranks of the Galactic Empire#Fleet_admiral|Supreme Fleet Admiral]]<br />
| flagship = ''[[Brünhild]]''<br />''[[Tannhäuser]]'' (former)<br />
| occupation = Kaiser of the Galactic Empire<br />
| status = Deceased (natural causes)<br />
| born = {{d|776|uc}}<br />
| died = {{d|801|uc}}<br />
| actor = [[Horikawa Ryō]] <small>([[My Conquest Is the Sea of Stars (film)|MCISS]], [[Legend of Galactic Heroes (OVA)|OVA]], [[Overture to a New War (film)|ONW]])</small><br />[[Narahashi Miki]] <small>([[Legend of Galactic Heroes (OVA)|OVA]], childhood)</small><br />[[Midorikawa Hikaru]] <small>([[Golden Wings (film)|GW]])</small><br />
}}<br />
'''Reinhard von Lohengramm''' (Japanese: '''ラインハルト・フォン・ローエングラム'''), born '''Reinhard von Müsel''', was an [[Galactic Empire|Imperial]] military and political leader who rose to prominence during the [[Alliance–Imperial War]], overthrowing the ruling [[Goldenbaum Dynasty]] and establishing himself as [[emperor]] of a [[New Galactic Empire]], establishing the [[Goldenlöwe Dynasty]]. A genius in war and politics, he rose to the highest ranks of the [[Imperial Armed Forces|Imperial Fleet]] at a young age and eventually usurped the power of the traditional [[nobility]] during the [[Imperial Civil War]]. Upon becoming the ''de facto'' dictator of the Empire, he instituted numerous political, legal, economic, and social reforms to abolish the old feudalistic system that had existed under the Goldenbaums and created a new empire, which was described by [[Yang Wen-li]] as having been "Not by the people, but for the people." Shortly after his [[Operation Ragnarök|conquest]] of the [[Free Planets Alliance]], he deposed the [[Catherine von Goldenbaum|last Goldenbaum sovereign]], who was essentially powerless, from the throne and proclaimed himself emperor.<br />
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He died on 26 July {{d|801|uc}}, at the age of 25, after having become arguably the most influential leader in human history and having unified humanity under the rule of one government.<br />
<br />
==Early life==<br />
[[File:Reinhardchildhood.PNG|190px|thumb|left|Young Reinhard ({{d|786|uc}})]]<br />
Born on 14 March {{d|776|uc}} to the poor aristocratic von Müsel family, Reinhard spent most of his childhood living with his father, [[Sebastian von Müsel|Sebastian]], and sister, [[Annerose von Grünewald|Annerose]], in a middle-class, suburban neighbourhood. Because Reinhard's mother, [[Caribelle von Müsel|Caribelle]], died in a car accident when he was very young, Reinhard grew very attached to his older sister. The von Müsel family held the noble rank of ''Reichsritter'' (Imperial Knight) therefore barely qualifying as a noble. As a child, Reinhard met the man whom he would later declare another part of himself: [[Siegfried Kircheis]]. The young Reinhard felt the name "Siegfried" was too common, and insisted on calling Siegfried by his surname, Kircheis. He would retain his habit of using Kircheis' surname, despite their close relationship, for the rest of his life. In many ways, Reinhard's life was defined by the strong relationships he formed with his sister and friend in those happy days. ({{logh|004}}, {{gw}})<br />
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Unfortunately, those days were not to last and Reinhard was rudely exposed to the true nature of the [[Galactic Empire]]'s class system in {{d|786|uc}}. One day, a [[Nobility|high nobleman]] happened to see Reinhard's sister Annerose in the street, and took notice of her. Shortly thereafter, rumours of her exceptional beauty reached the Imperial Court. It was then decided that she would be brought to the [[Neue Sanssouci|Imperial Palace]] to serve as an imperial consort to the emperor—Kaiser [[Friedrich IV]]. Reinhard's father accepted a large sum of money as a dowry in exchange for effectively selling his daughter into a life of sexual servitude. He chose to accept the money, because he reasoned that even if he refused the payment Annerose would be taken away regardless. Already weak to alcohol since the death of his wife, Sebastian retreated further into the bottle after Annerose was taken. Reflecting on Sebastian's life after his death, Kircheis thought perhaps he was never able to forgive himself for failing to protect his daughter. ({{dmsn|03}})<br />
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When Reinhard realised what his father had done, he was enraged. He angrily swore to destroy the corrupt, capricious Goldenbaum Dynasty and rescue his sister from the clutches of Kaiser Friedrich IV. Together, he and Kircheis promised to defeat every enemy and win every battle in pursuit of that goal. [[Julian Mintz]] would later note that Annerose served as the catalyst that resulted in the great change of history that Reinhard accomplished. Shortly after his sister was taken, Reinhard joined military school to become an officer, as he considered it the fastest way to advance in their class-based society, getting Kircheis to go along with him. ({{logh|004|110}}, {{swv|01}})<br />
<br />
==Early military career==<br />
===Kapche-Lanka===<br />
[[File:Reinhard_and_tank_fire.jpg|210px|thumb|Reinhard in Kapche-Lanka ({{d|791|uc}})]]<br />
Reinhard graduated from the [[Imperial Officer Academy]] on [[Odin]] at the top of his class, and though he was much resented by his upperclassmen, all of his peers and underclassmen respected and admired him. Immediately after graduating, Reinhard and Kircheis, as young junior officers, were assigned to an Imperial facility on the frozen world of [[Kapche-Lanka]], located within the [[Iserlohn Corridor]] on the front line of the [[Alliance–Imperial War]]. It was a minor world that had some natural resources, but was not of much significance, with combat there going on mainly due to the fact that neither the Empire nor the Alliance wanted the other side to take control of it. Reinhard viewed it as an example of the incompetence of the leadership on both sides. He earned the ire of the commanding officer, {{rank|imperial|Captain}} [[Herder]], after getting into a fight with some lower ranking servicemen that were abusing a civilian woman. However, Reinhard's situation would become more perilous when Marquise [[Sussanna von Beenemünde]], a concubine of Kaiser Friedrich who despised his sister's status at court, secretly hired the captain to assassinate Reinhard. He and Kircheis are thus sent on what is ostensibly a recon mission into the frozen wastes of Kapche-Lanka, but with an ill-equipped [[Panzer IV|tank]]. ({{swv|01|02}})<br />
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They inevitably run low on fuel and decide to attack an [[Free Planets Alliance|Alliance]] tank patrol that they stumble across to obtain more supplies. After successfully ambushing them, the pair gained not only more fuel but information on an upcoming Alliance attack on the Imperial base. Meanwhile, Reinhard correctly assumes that Captain Herder will send a subordinate to check on whether or not they are still alive, and lays a trap for him. When {{rank|imperial|Lieutenant}} [[Fugenberch]] arrives and reveals what is really going on before intending to finish off Reinhard, Kircheis fires from the tank nearby and kills the lieutenant. Following his death, Reinhard and Kircheis returned to the base to find it is under attack by the Alliance already, at which point they use a code they obtained from the enemy tank they captured to shut down the Alliance's attacking tanks, allowing the Empire to counterattack. Subsequently, feigning ignorance of Captain Herder's plot against them, they take part in his assault on the Alliance base, and during that assault Herder attempts to murder Reinhard. However, they prepared for it and stopped him, though in the end Herder committed suicide. ({{swv|03|04}})<br />
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Unfortunately, both conspirators on Kapche-Lanka died, making any possible legal action against Marquise von Beenemünde impossible. Following his victories, Reinhard was promoted to Sub-lieutenant and transferred to the space fleet. ({{swv|04}})<br />
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===''Hameln II''===<br />
[[File:Kircheis Reinhard Bertram.jpg|thumb|210px|left|Reinhard and Kircheis confronting Bertram ({{d|791|uc}})]]<br />
Following the events on Kapche-Lanka, in August of {{d|791|uc}}, Reinhard was assigned as Chief Navigator aboard the destroyer ''[[Hameln II]]''. Although the ship's captain is impressed with Reinhard's service record, the rest of the crew is less enthusiastic and sees him as a spoiled aristocratic brat who got promoted because of his sister's status with the Kaiser. However, while going outside the vessel on a space walk, an enlisted rating ended up getting disconnected from the ship and flying out into space, before Reinhard rescued him. This earned the young officer respect from the enlisted crew of the ''Hameln II''. Later during a routine patrol outside of Iserlohn, their squadron is attacked and Reinhard temporarily takes command of the vessel when the captain is severely injured and the first officer, Lieutenant [[Hartmann Bertram]], happens to not be on the bridge. Reinhard led the destroyer away from the rest of their squadron, which fled from the Alliance vessels that were waiting to ambush them in a nearby asteroid field. Instead he flew into the asteroid field, predicting the Alliance ships wouldn't follow them and instead hunt for the fleeing squadron. Bertram returned and later demanded he pass command authority back to him and return to the normal course, but Reinhard's prediction is confirmed when the rest of their squadron is destroyed. ({{mut|01|02}})<br />
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Bertram orders the detainment of Reinhard on the grounds of mutiny, which Kircheis (the Security Officer) carries out. As they hide in the asteroid field from the patrolling Alliance ships, Bertram decided to self-destruct the ship as he believed there is not way of escape. He ignored fellow crewman [[Schmidt]]'s proposal to use the energy dispensed by a solar eruption from a nearby star to propel their ship away from the Alliance squadron in the area. Kircheis became aware of both the proposal and Bertram's plan to self-destruct, and decided to free Reinhard with the help of some enlisted men. Together they took control of the bridge but were confronted by Bertram, who shot an enlisted crewman defending Reinhard. The situation would have escalated if not for the arrival of {{rank|imperial|lieutenant commander}} [[Adenauer]], their captain, who repeats his order giving Reinhard command authority. They proceeded with the plan to get away using the eruption from the nearby star, and despite some minor problems that resulted in Bertram's death after volunteering for a dangerous mission to atone for having shot a crewman, they are able to escape. ({{mut|03|04}})<br />
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After their return to Iserlohn, Reinhard was recommended by Adenauer for promotion to lieutenant. Given the choice between continuing on as the new executive officer and an assignment elsewhere, Reinhard opted for assignment elsewhere to broaden his experience. ({{Mut|04}})<br />
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===Military administration===<br />
[[File:Reinhard and opponent.jpg|thumb|210px|Reinhard during his duel on behalf of Viscountess Schaffhausen ({{d|792|uc}})]]<br />
While working a desk job at the investigative department of the [[Ministry of War|Ministry of Military Affairs]] on Odin, Reinhard discovered several instances of corruption among base commanders on the front line. The amounts of supplies ordered and those received by the front line units do not correlate, and Reinhard deduces that certain officers were siphoning off military supplies to sell on the black market. He and Kircheis gathered evidence and reported to their superiors, but were told that nothing could be done: a certain amount of corruption was accepted as a "necessary evil" and they were essentially ordered to drop the matter. This further solidified Reinhard's opinion that the [[Goldenbaum Dynasty]] was too corrupt to be allowed to continue. ({{duel|01}})<br />
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However, the posting at the [[Imperial Capital]] meant that he was able to meet with his sister Annerose. During one such occasion, he found out about the dispute between one of her sister's few allies at the Imperial court, Viscountess [[Dorothea von Schaffhausen]], and Count [[Herxheimer]], relative of one of the most influential high nobles of the Empire: Marquis [[Wilhelm von Littenheim]], over territorial mining rights. Herxheimer knew he had no chance of winning the case against her in a court of law and challenged her to a duel, using his reputation to ensure that no professional duelist would work for the Schaffhausen family. When Reinhard heard of this, he offered to take the place of her duelist, despite having no experience in that arena. News of the "blond brat" choosing to participate in this high-level duel spread quickly throughout the upper echelons of Imperial society and soon the event became a spectacle. Reinhard learned to use the antique flintlock pistols traditionally wielded by duelists, initially struggling before happening to run into a young lieutenant commander, [[Cornelius Lutz]], who trained him in its use. Unbeknownst to Reinhard, Marquise von Beenemüde (having failed to get Reinhard killed on Kapche-Lanka) hired an assassin to take the place of Count Herxheimer's [[Goldschmidt|duelist]], in order to kill Reinhard during the duel. ({{duel|01|02}})<br />
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The duel was held on a property owned by Marquis Littenheim, who supported the Count, and was viewed by a large audience of nobles. Both the assassin and Reinhard missed each other in the first round because the latter duelist chose to leap to the side. In the second round, both of them wounded each other, in the assassin's right shoulder and Reinhard's left arm. The third round was a sword match, at the request of the assassin, who quickly proves himself to be the superior swordsman despite his injury, but before Reinhard could be defeated a group of [[Imperial Guard]]smen arrived at the arena on horseback, telling them that Kaiser Friedrich IV had ordered the duel to be suspended and had settled the dispute personally, splitting the proceeds of the mines equally between the two feuding families. The outcome pleased the Schaffhausen family while Herxheimer reluctantly accepted the Emperor's settlement. The assassin challenged Reinhard to another duel privately, and Reinhard, with assistance from Kircheis, is able to defeat him the second time, once again foiling Beenemüde's attempt to kill him. ({{duel|03|04}})<br />
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===''Hässliche Entlein''===<br />
[[File:Commander Reinhard.png|210px|thumb|left|Commander Reinhard at Iserlohn ({{d|792|uc}})]]<br />
Later in {{d|792|uc}}, Reinhard was transferred to [[Iserlohn Fortress]] on the front line, being given command of the [[Imperial destroyer (788 UC era)|destroyer]] ''[[Ermland II]]''. He spent part of his time there under investigation by a lieutenant commander named [[Gregor von Krumbach]], who was sent to Iserlohn to investigate the death of Captain Herder back on Kapche-Lanka. Secretly, however, he was sent there with the goal of killing Reinhard, one behalf of Marquise von Beenemüde. Krumbach was unable to find an opportunity to do so when an Alliance expeditionary fleet [[Fifth Battle of Iserlohn|attacked]] the fortress, at which point he joined Reinhard and Kircheis aboard the ''Ermland II''. During the battle ''Ermland II'' destroyed an [[Alliance cruiser (788 UC era)|Alliance cruiser]], and for that he was later promoted to {{rank|imperial|commander|lc}}. After the battle Reinhard and Kircheis confronted Krumbach, killing him. ({{gw}})<br />
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In December of the same year, Commander von Müsel took command of the [[Imperial cruiser (788 UC era)|Imperial cruiser]] ''[[Hässliche Entlein]]'' ("Ugly Duckling"). It was here that he encountered [[August Samuel Wahlen]] who was his executive officer. As the captain of a cruiser, Reinhard drilled his crew frequently while they were not in battle, keeping the ship at combat readiness and the highest levels of efficiency. Around that time, he was chosen, along with the crew of his ship, for a special mission behind enemy lines by Imperial military intelligence. It was to intercept Count Herxheimer and prevent him from defecting to the Free Planets Alliance with the stolen directional [[Seffle particle|Seffle particles]] prototype. Due to the secrecy of the mission, they could expect no support from other Imperial units and to be operating in enemy territory. Reinhard accepted the operation, being joined by a representative of intelligence, Lieutenant Commander [[Bendling]]. ({{ret|01}})<br />
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[[File:Hassliche entlein bow.png|thumb|210px|Reinhard's second command, ''Hässliche Entlein'' ({{d|792|uc}})]]<br />
After organizing a skirmish between Imperial and Alliance border patrol ships in the Iserlohn Corridor to distract them, ''Hässliche Entlein'' was able to pass into the Alliance side of the Corridor undetected. The cruiser then skirted the edge of Alliance space in an uneventful southward journey to [[Fezzan Corridor]], where it caught Count Herxheimer's vessel and boarded it. In the process, they received valuable intelligence from {{rank|imperial|sub-lieutenant}} [[Neidhart Müller]], then the military attaché at the [[Galactic Empire High Commissioner's office|Imperial diplomatic mission]] on [[Fezzan]]. He and most of his family were killed in a decompression accident aboard the ship, except for [[Margareta von Herxheimer|his daughter]], who was taken aboard ''Hässliche Entlein''. Along with the Count's ship and the prototype generator aboard it—which they could not bring onto their own vessel as it was digitally locked onto his ship—the cruiser then evaded an Alliance patrol squadron while en route back to the Empire. They were able to use the generator to a limited extent, and even in that state it was enough to destroy the pursuing Alliance squadron. After that, Kircheis proposed that they make a deal to get the unlock code to the generator from the Count's daughter in exchange for her being able to defect to the Free Planets Alliance, to which she agreed. ({{ret|02|03}})<br />
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However, not only did the unlock code give access to the Seffle particle generator, but to secret information surrounding Count Herxheimer's attempted defection. The Count had learned that Duke [[Otto von Braunschweig]]'s daughter had inherited a genetic disease from her mother, meaning that Marquis Littenheim's daughter did as well, considering that their wives were sisters. That made them both ineligible claimants for the Imperial throne by the [[Inferior Genes Exclusion Act]]. Thus Littenheim tried to have him killed to suppress knowledge of that fact, prompting his defection. Reinhard and Kircheis were the only others, besides intelligence officer Bendling (who chose to defect to the Alliance with the Count's daughter), who were aware of the information. A short while later, ''Hässliche Entlein'' was able to return to Iserlohn Fortress after using the Seffle particle generator to break through an Alliance blockade and receiving supplies from supply ships led by [[Ernst von Eisenach]]. ({{ret|04}})<br />
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===Imperial Military Police===<br />
[[File:Steger denouncing.jpg|thumb|210px|left|Reinhard confronting the military school principal ({{d|793|uc}})]]<br />
Following the success of their operation, Reinhard received a promotion and transfer from the ''Hässliche Entlein'' back to Odin, where he visited his alma mater, the War Academy. As a seventeen-year old {{rank|imperial|captain|lc}}, he naturally was respected and admired by most of the cadets. After observing the school for a day Reinhard and Kircheis received their new assignment in the [[Imperial Military Police]]. Reinhard was annoyed by this as it would not give him the opportunity to distinguish himself and get a promotion, to which Kircheis reminded him it would be valuable to know how the MPs worked and that out of the Goldenbaum Dynasty's institutions, the Military Police was one that needed reform the most. It was during this time that Reinhard first learned of [[Ulrich Kesler]], a Fleet officer who transferred to the Military Police as an observer, and his efforts to try to keep the MPs from severely punishing a woman for ''lèse-majesté'', only for all of his work to have ultimately been in vain. It again incited Reinhard to go on a rant about the degenerate state of the Empire before he was interrupted by a call from the chief of police to receive his new orders: go back to the school to investigate a murder that took place the night before. ({{dmsn|01}})<br />
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A cadet named [[Karl von Reifeisen]] had been found murdered. Reinhard and Kircheis then investigated the matter, briefly interrupted by the death of his father Sebastian von Müsel. A second murder was later committed, of cadet [[Johann Gottholp von Bertz]]. Although Kircheis noted that Reinhard did not have to become an expert in everything, the two were able to solve the case, despite Reinhard's initial lack of interest in the assignment. In the process of the investigation they discovered that Reifeisen's death was an accident, but the school principal [[Gerhard von Steger]], the first to find his body, attempted to make it look like a murder both to prevent any accusations of negligence on his part, and to assist his grandson, who was third in the class. Bertz was the second in their class, and Steger killed him to remove an obstacle and to implicate [[Moritz von Haase]], at the top of the class, as the killer. Reinhard and Kircheis confronted Steger and explained the results of their investigation to him, taking him into custody shortly afterwards. Haase, who they discovered was color-blind and lied about this defect to get into military school, was also taken away, against Reinhard's wishes, who again saw it as an example of the folly of Kaiser [[Rudolf von Goldenbaum|Rudolf the Great]]'s policies; since this cadet with a genetic problem had been at the top of his class in military school. ({{dmsn|02|03|04}})<br />
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===Fleet command===<br />
[[File:Tannhaeuser in Van-Fleet.jpg|thumb|210px|Reinhard aboard the bridge of ''[[Tannhäuser]]'' near Van-Fleet ({{d|794|uc}})]]<br />
Having been promoted to {{rank|imperial|commodore|lc}}, the eighteen-year old Reinhard commanded a small squadron of the elderly {{rank|imperial|Vice Admiral}} [[Richard von Grimmelshausen]]'s [[Grimmelshausen Fleet|fleet]] at the [[Battle of Van-Fleet]] in March {{d|794|uc}}. The battle was viewed by Reinhard as completely useless and strategically insignificant, and initially Reinhard's squadron was placed in reserve along with the rest of the Grimmelshausen Fleet, much to the young commodore's frustration. The Imperial commander-in-chief, [[Gregor von Mückenberger]], saw the old admiral as a liability and sent his force to the fourth planet orbiting [[Van-Fleet (star)|Van-Fleet]], Van Fleet 4-2. Unbeknownst to the Imperials, an Alliance rear support supply base had been constructed on the planet. Reinhard voiced this possibility to Grimmelshausen and offered to lead the recon team on the ground, but Commodore [[Hermann von Lüneburg]]—an officer who specialized in ground warfare—asked to take command. The entire fleet proceeds to land on the surface, with Reinhard remaining aboard his flagship initially before taking part in an assault on the Alliance facility as the vice commander, below Lüneburg. This frustrates him as well, both because they are the same rank and the man's condescending attitude. It was the beginning of the rivalry between the two. ({{hbshbl|01|02|04}})<br />
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Over the course of the battle, Reinhard and Kircheis entered the Alliance base with Imperial forces and personally captured the base commander, {{rank|fpa|Vice Admiral}} [[Sinclair Cerebrese]]. As a result, Reinhard and Lüneburg were both promoted to {{rank|imperial|rear admiral|lc}} while Grimmelshausen was made a full {{rank|imperial|admiral|lc}}. Back on Odin after the engagement, the young flag officer had Kircheis check Lüneburg's background, and also visited Annerose once again, where he complained about Kircheis being refused a promotion. This changed soon after when Admiral Grimmelshausen recommended Reinhard's redheaded friend for a promotion. Not long after that Reinhard and Kircheis heard about a rumor spreading through the Imperial court which stated that Kaiser Friedrich IV planned to bestow upon Reinhard a new title, the Countship of Lohengramm, on his twentieth birthday. Reinhard uncharacteristically reacted positively to the suggestion. Reinhard later visited a party hosted by Grimmelshausen that celebrated his promotion to admiral, which included among its guest list, Lüneburg, with whom he nearly got into a fistfight with after Luneburg accused Reinhard of impropriety with his wife. ({{hbshbl|06|07|08}})<br />
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[[File:Friedrich IV and Grimmelshausen.jpg|thumb|210px|left|Kaiser Friedrich and Grimmelshausen discuss awarding Reinhard a countship ({{d|794|uc}})]]<br />
Later in the year both officers returned to the front lines for the [[Sixth Battle of Iserlohn]]. In the early part of the campaign Reinhard amassed several victories during the initial skirmishes ahead of the Alliance main fleet's arrival for the assault on Iserlohn, but received little attention from his superiors. The [[Free Planets Star Fleet]], however, became aware that there was a capable Imperial fleet commander at work who had handed them several stinging defeats and made attempts to entrap him using a plan developed by Yang. Outnumbered ten to one, Reinhard lost a third of his fleet breaking out of the trap. Later the Alliance completed its full deployment and began the Sixth Battle of Iserlohn proper. During the main engagement Reinhard's fleet was held in reserve. When [[Iserlohn Fortress]] was under dangerous bombardment by Alliance missile ships he launched an attack without orders, driving them away. He then seized the initiative and struck the Alliance flank, forcing them to counterattack on a narrow front where their numbers could not overwhelm his much smaller force. Rushing to join the battle, other Imperial fleets blocked the fire of Thor's Hammer and the battle became a melee (as Reinhard had predicted). ({{hbshbl|10|11}})<br />
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Reinhard's rival Lüneburg was killed leading a boarding action during this phase of the fighting. Meanwhile, while his squadron was being resupplied in Iserlohn Fortress, Reinhard met with Ulrich Kesler, who explained that Grimmelshausen sent him his memoirs which included information he had learned from various [[Nobility|high nobles]] over the years, including incriminating, secretive information. However, Reinhard declined and asked Kesler to keep the Grimmelshausen's book with the information, to be made public when the nobility of the Empire "are no longer in power." The blond rear admiral did not want to resort to blackmail to further his career. Meanwhile, back on the battlefield, Reinhard proposed to Mückenberger a plan to end the stalemate: to block the other end of the Iserlohn Corridor, which would make them break off the attack or be trapped and destroyed. Reinhard was appointed to command this force and the Alliance Star Fleet took the bait, following him and trying to withdraw from Iserlohn. The disengage Imperial Fleet then retreated as well, allowing the [[Thor Hammer]] superlaser to be used against the retreating Alliance ships to a decisive effect. ({{hbshbl|11|12}})<br />
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===The Third Battle of Tiamat===<br />
[[File:Reinhard pinpoint attack in Tiamat.jpg|thumb|210px|Reinhard's concentrated fire that won at Tiamat ({{d|795|uc}})]]<br />
To commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of Kaiser Friedrich's ascension to the throne (a rare feat in the Goldenbaum Dynasty) in December {{d|794|uc}}, the Galactic Empire announces a large new offensive against the Alliance, partly to distract the Imperial people from his lack of domestic accomplishments. This information is reported to the Alliance government via [[Dominion of Fezzan|Fezzan]] and soon several fleets are deployed to meet this threat. The two sides engaged each other in the historically known [[Tiamat Starzone]] in February {{d|795|uc}}. Reinhard's formation was initially kept in reserve as the battle began, by order of [[Gregor von Mückenberger]]. However, the young vice admiral had the opportunity to play a key role when [[Willem Holland]]'s [[11th Fleet]] charged directly into the Imperial formation, ahead of the other Alliance fleets. Chaos ensued, and Reinhard moved his fleet back, which encouraged Holland to think that the Imperial line was breaking. Orders from Vice Admiral [[Alexandre Bewcock]] of the [[5th Fleet]] to withdraw were ignored by Holland, who pressed the attack. However, the main Imperial body under Mückenberger's command eventually was able to disentangle itself from Holland's 11th Fleet, who by then had megalomaniac visions of invading the Empire himself from there. That gave Reinhard the opportunity to have his fleet launch a concentrated artillery attack at one point in the enemy formation, the center. The 11th Fleet flagship ''[[Epimetheus]]'' was instantly destroyed, Holland being killed instantly. Another barrage three minutes later broke the remaining 11th Fleet ships into a full retreat. ({{tbt|01}})<br />
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The retreat of the 11th Fleet was covered by their comrades in the 5th and [[10th Fleet]]s, however, preventing an effective Imperial pursuit and prompting Reinhard to admire the abilities of the 5th and 10th Fleet commanders. The Empire then withdrew, having achieved a propaganda victory by practically annihilating the Alliance's 11th Fleet. Some dismissed his artillery attack that decided the battle as just luck, but the fact remained that Reinhard's action was decisive in the victory. Thus his promotion to admiral was assured. ({{tbt|02}})<br />
<br />
==Later military career==<br />
===The Battle of Legnica===<br />
[[File:Brunhild crest ONW (BD).jpg|thumb|210px|left|Future Imperial Supreme Flagship ''Brünhild'' ({{d|795|uc}})]]<br />
With the victory at the Third Battle of Tiamat, Reinhard was promoted to the Admiralty—becoming the youngest full admiral in the Galactic Empire. As an admiral, Reinhard was given command of a [[Lohengramm Fleet|fleet]] and his own, a one-of-a-kind warship, the ''[[Brünhild]]''—the bloodthirsty maiden. It was an experimental battleship, the only one of its class, constructed with advanced technologies that ignored to mass production costs. Among its various upgrades was advanced command and control equipment that allowed Reinhard to direct massive fleets of warships. The vessel did not have to wait long to see its first action, as Imperial Admiral Reinhard von Müsel was ordered to command his expeditionary fleet to Iserlohn. ({{tbt|2}}; {{ffc|1r|full}})<br />
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Upon arrival to the fortress, Reinhard von Müsel's expeditionary fleet was ordered to intercept an Alliance fleet that had approached the area in further in the Corridor by the commander-in-chief, Fleet Admiral Mückenberger. The recently arrived Imperial reinforcements were exhausted from the long journey to Iserlohn: the order to attack was a transparent attempt to get Reinhard killed: many of the nobility were jealous of Reinhard's favour with the Kaiser, believing he had been granted a command at such a young age solely because of his sister's influence. Reinhard encountered the Alliance fleet into the atmosphere of the planet [[Legnica]], a gas giant in the Tiamat Starzone. In the upper layers of the atmosphere, the ships of both fleets were forced to fight at extremely close-ranges, as sensors and communications were virtually non-functional. Reinhard ordered his fleet to engage the enemy in close combat for several minutes, having each ship fire all of its cannons as frequently as possible. This rapidly energized the upper layer of Legnica's atmosphere, creating a massive wind storm that propelled a great deal of the hydrogen and helium in the atmosphere upward. Reinhard then had his fleet rise up out of the atmosphere, where he then fired a single nuclear missile from the ''Brünhild'' to Legnica's core. When the nuclear warhead detonated, it ignited the atmosphere: the Alliance fleet took heavy damage in the ensuing firestorm. ({{mciss}})<br />
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Though Reinhard von Müsel had managed to inflict heavy losses on the Alliance fleet with only token losses to his own forces, he was not given proper credit for his victory, as the weather conditions were assumed by his superiors to have been a natural phenomenon and his victory attributed to luck. This further strengthened the perception that Reinhard was an incompetent commander who had only achieved his rank by "hiding under his sister's skirts", further encouraging contempt for him on behalf of the high nobles. ({{mciss}})<br />
<br />
===The Fourth Battle of Tiamat===<br />
[[File:Kircheis Reinhard Mecklinger.jpg|thumb|210px|Reinhard, Kircheis, and chief of staff [[Ernest Mecklinger]] ({{d|795|uc}})]]<br />
The Free Planets Alliance chose to continue with their plans to assault Iserlohn Fortress despite their defeat at Legnica. The Imperial fleets stationed at Iserlohn, under the command of Gregor von Mückenberger, sailed forth to meet the Alliance fleet head on: Reinhard von Müsel's fleet was positioned at the left wing of the formation. Determined to be rid of the "Admiral of the Skirts" once and for all, Mückenberger ordered Reinhard's formation to advance on the Alliance fleets alone as a diversionary measure: the rest of the Imperial Fleet would maintain is position, meaning Reinhard's smaller force would be annihilated by the vastly more numerous Alliance ships. Reinhard complied with the order but staked his survival on a complete gamble. He advanced his fleet toward the enemy formation alone, but rather than open fire on them once he was in range, however, Reinhard had his entire fleet turn ninety degrees to the right. The blond admiral's fleet then slowly moved in front of the Alliance fleet, utterly exposed. Unable to comprehend why an enemy intentionally made itself so vulnerable, the Alliance fleet commanders refused to attack Reinhard's forces, believing his maneuver to be some sort of elaborate trick. Their inaction allowed Reinhard to position his forces along the left flank of the Alliance formation. ({{mciss}})<br />
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By the time they realized their error, the main Imperial Fleet had entered combat range, forcing the Alliance invasion force to deal with the main Imperial force, ignoring Reinhard's detachment. The Imperial fleet was roughly equal in size to the Alliance fleet, turning the battle into a violent brawl. Understanding he had been outsmarted by the young admiral, Mückenberger refused to ask Reinhard's fleet to attack: Mückenberger believed that he was similarly petty, and would not move to aid the besieged Imperial forces unless ordered to do so. Reinhard, however, realized that the gratitude of the thousands of soldiers whose lives he could save by attacking the Alliance flank far outweighed the ire he would earn from embarrassing Mückenberger. He ordered his fleet to attack, and in moments the Alliance forces were facing a rout. ({{mciss}})<br />
[[File:Yang under Brunhild 2.jpg|''Ulysses'' takes ''Brünhild'' hostage ({{d|795|uc}})|thumb|left|210px]]<br />
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At this point, the Alliance forces decided they had no choice but to retreat. They were determined to launch a diversionary attack directly against Iserlohn Fortress, to draw off the bulk of the Imperial fleet and buy enough time for them to escape. {{rank|fpa|Commodore}} [[Yang Wen-li]] volunteered to lead the diversionary attack: he took a single battleship, the ''[[Ulysses]]'', with a skeleton crew along with 4 unmanned cruisers straight for Iserlohn. Using sensor decoys, Yang Wen-li was able to fool the Imperial Fleet into thinking he was leading a fleet of several thousand warships toward the undefended fortress. Mückenberger immediately ordered the fleet to go back to Iserlohn, and taking advantage of this opportunity, the Alliance began to retreat while inflicting additional losses upon the Imperial commander's main force. Fortunately, Reinhard immediately realized the Alliance fleet was a decoy operation, and managed to reveal this fact to Mückenberger. This prompted the Fleet Admiral to resume the attack on the Alliance forces, preventing them from retreating. Determined to save the lives of his fellow soldiers, Yang Wen-li then flew his battleship straight into the heart of the Imperial Fleet. There, he assumed a position immediately beneath the ''Brünhild'', effectively taking Reinhard von Müsel hostage. Reinhard ordered his forces to disregard his own safety and open fire on Yang Wen-li's ship, but they refused, with Captain [[Karl Robert Steinmetz]] saying that as the captain of the flagship he would not put it into unnecessary danger, a statement that Reinhard accepted. Mückenberger also did not fire, unwilling to risk the political damage of directly killing the brother of Kaiser Friedrich's favored concubine. Both the Imperial and Alliance fleets held fire on each other until they had passed, at which point Yang left the battlefield, monitored by Reinhard. ({{mciss}})<br />
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After the Fourth Battle of Tiamat, Reinhard was promoted to High Admiral, and firmly established a reputation for himself as a brilliant tactician because of his actions during the engagement. Furthermore, Reinhard went to lengths to learn the name of the Alliance officer who had managed to open up a path to safety for the retreating Alliance forces, while at the same time Yang Wen-li had sought out the name of the commander of the white ship. From this point on, the rivalry with Yang Wen-li would help to define Reinhard's life. ({{mciss}})<br />
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===Astarte and other developments===<br />
[[File:Conspiring.jpg|thumb|210px|The three military chiefs deciding on Reinhard's deployment ({{d|796|uc}})]]<br />
Having secured a reputation as a skilled military officer at Tiamat, Reinhard received a hero's welcome at the Imperial City on Odin, where he was promoted to {{rank|imperial|high admiral|lc}} and is formally granted the title of Count von Lohengramm by His Majesty the Kaiser. Although he did not expect to be deployed any time soon, the scheming of Duke Otto von Braunschweig, the most powerful aristocrat in the Empire, and other high nobles—who by that point had no choice but to acknowledge the young high admiral and despised him—resulted in the High Command Office deciding to send him back to the front. Not only that, but as he found out, most of his top officers in the [[Lohengramm Fleet]] (including chief of staff [[Ernest Mecklinger]], fleet commanders [[Oskar von Reuenthal]] and [[Wolfgang Mittermeyer]], and even the ''Brünhild'''s captain Steinmetz) were to be temporarily replaced by other commanders that he had not worked with for this operation. Although Kircheis was unenthusiastic, Reinhard was glad and saw it as an opportunity to gain even more accolades for advancement. He was ordered to lead a fleet of 20,000 vessels to invade Alliance space. However, the details were leaked by Duke von Braunschweig via [[Dominion of Fezzan|Fezzani]] leader [[Adrian Rubinsky]] to the Alliance government, and they dispatched the [[2nd Fleet]], [[4th Fleet]], and [[6th Fleet]] to counter him. ({{onw}})<br />
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The fleet under Reinhard advanced towards the [[Astarte Starzone]]. The three Alliance fleets were divided and intended to attack the Imperial force from three sides, encircling the enemy formation in a repeat of the historical [[Battle of Dagon]], around 156 years earlier. Since the three different fleets, while greater in total number, were weaker than Reinhard's force on an individual level, he decided to speed up and annihilate each one of them individually before they could meet up. This resulted in the near-total destruction of the 4th and 6th Fleets before he attacked the 2nd Fleet, where the actions of Yang Wen-li, who took command upon Vice Admiral [[Paetta]] becoming injured, prevented it from suffering the same fate as its comrades. Nonetheless, the [[Battle of Astarte]] ended as an overwhelming Imperial victory despite the overall numerical inferiority of Reinhard's forces. Shortly after this victory he was promoted to rank of Fleet Admiral, an unprecedented achievement for someone of his age, and was made Vice Commander of the Imperial Space Fleet. In this position he commanded around a third of the fleets in the Empire, and after the fall of Iserlohn Fortress, he was put in charge of the war front on the Imperial side of the Iserlohn Corridor. Reinhard was also granted his own admiralty, and selected talented individuals he had encountered over his previous military service to staff his new command. These young commanders—commoners and lesser nobility—had previously been in low ranking positions, with their talents and initiative unrecognized and unappreciated by hierarchical and largely highborn senior officers. ({{logh|001|002|004|005|011}}, {{onw}})<br />
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Among his admiralty were most notably Wolfgang Mittermeyer and Oskar von Reuenthal, who were known to be particularly talented fleet commanders. Their history with Reinhard went back further than that, however. On 2 May {{d|795|uc}}, Reuenthal visited Reinhard and Kircheis, asking them for assistance to free his best friend Mittermeyer. He had executed a noble-born subordinate for a crime against a civilian, following martial law, but since Mittermeyer was a commoner he was then illegally detained by some high nobles and kept in prison. Reuenthal confirmed his views on the state of the Goldenbaum Dynasty and subsequently pledged fealty to Reinhard in exchange for helping free Mittermeyer from the high nobles, which they did. Afterwards both of the young commanders became loyal followers of Reinhard, at least initially. ({{logh|075}})<br />
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[[File:Reinhard 3.jpg|thumb|left|210px|Reinhard at Astarte ({{d|796|uc}})]]<br />
Shortly afterwards, Reinhard assigned his friend Kircheis (who was a rear admiral at the time) to lead the effort in suppressing the [[Castrop Rebellion]]. The Emperor had ordered the blond admiral to requisition [[Maximilian von Castrop]]'s wealth, stolen from the Imperial state, and to quell the noble's revolt. Reinhard made the decision to send Kircheis in his place so that he could gain his own accolades, to establish a reputation as a skilled tactician in his own right. The two developed a strategy to destroy Castrop's main defensive weapon, the [[Artemis Necklace]] (thought to be impregnable), which was to utilize a directional [[Seffle particle]] generator. The ploy worked, and upon the loss of the Necklace, Castrop's subordinates murdered him out of fear of Imperial reprisal. That way the "impregnable" planet was freed by Kircheis' work without the loss of a single life besides Castrop's, increasing his reputation as more than just Reinhard's shadow and joining the ranks of the vice admirals of the Lohengramm admiralty. Kircheis expressed disappointment to Reinhard at the death of the noble, to which Reinhard replied that he considered Kircheis to be a "good man." ({{logh|005}})<br />
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After the [[Seventh Battle of Iserlohn]] (which occurred about five months after the victory at Astarte) and the loss of Iserlohn Fortress to the Alliance, the three Imperial Chiefs of Staff sought to resign from their positions: it was obvious that one of the vacancies would be given to Reinhard. Instead, when Kaiser Friedrich IV gave Reinhard the choice of any of the three vacant seats, Reinhard begged the Kaiser not to dismiss any of the Chiefs of Staff, urging him to be lenient: those responsible for the defeat had already been punished by their own actions. The minister of state and acting Imperial premier, [[Klaus von Lichtenlade]], agreed with Reinhard (taken aback by the young admiral's decision), and Friedrich IV determined not to punish anyone for the loss of the fortress. In return for Reinhard's unexpected intercession on their behalf the three Imperial Chiefs of Staff dropped any attempts to punish [[Paul von Oberstein]], a staff officer of the Iserlohn Stationed Fleet who had escaped the fall of the fortress, and whom Reinhard then took on as an advisor. Oberstein had proven himself to be capable in politics in a way that Reinhard and Kircheis were not, and was an ardent opponent of the Goldenbaum Dynasty. He, like Reuenthal and Mittermeyer, would prove to be an important player in the Lohengramm camp in the years to come. ({{logh|008}})<br />
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===Alliance invasion of the Empire===<br />
[[File:Konigs sun.jpg|210px|thumb|Ships of the Imperial [[Black Lancers]] at Amritsar ({{d|796|uc}})]]<br />
When Yang Wen-li captured Iserlohn Fortress, he hoped that the Free Planets Alliance, whose economy was in shambles after more than a century of continual warfare, would seek an equitable peace treaty. Instead, the ruling [[High Council]] of the Alliance, motivated by political gain, and some overly ambitious junior officers under [[Andrew Falk]] who sought personal advancement, saw an opportunity to strike into the heart of the Empire and to 'liberate' the people of the Galactic Empire from their oppressors. As Vice Commander of the Imperial Fleet, Fleet Admiral Reinhard von Lohengramm was tasked with the [[Invasion of the Imperial Territory|defense of the Empire]] by Emperor Friedrich. At the counsel of his advisor, Paul von Oberstein, Reinhard pursued a "scorched earth" strategy. Rather than engage the invading Alliance fleets directly, he had Imperial warships remove all supplies from every world in the immediate path of the Alliance force, leaving the people to rely on the Alliance "liberators" to feed them. Because he knew the Alliance invasion hinged upon the idea of liberating the peasants from the Kaiser's rule, Reinhard correctly calculated that the Alliance occupation forces would need to feed the civilians—thus creating a strained and long line of supply from Iserlohn. Once this supply line was attacked and severed by Vice Admiral Siegfried Kircheis, the invading Alliance troops soon found themselves to be under-supplied and starving along with the Imperial civilians. The people of the occupied planets, though initially thankful for the liberation, soon turned on the occupying Alliance forces who had resorted to confiscating food from the civilians. ({{logh|012|013|014|015}})<br />
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As the scattered Alliance fleets, suffering from the lack of supplies and a drop in morale, reached the height of their fatigue, the Imperial Fleet launched its counteroffensive. Although many of their commanders realized there was no chance of winning, they attempted to make a stand, but ultimately suffered heavy losses before succumbing to Reinhard's stratagem. However, due to the speed and swiftness of these attacks, only three of the Alliance fleets were able to maintain combat capability (Yang's [[13th Fleet|13th]], Bewcock's 5th, and [[Appleton]]'s [[8th Fleet|8th]]), the others all being destroyed, severely diminished, or having surrendered. Meanwhile, the commander-in-chief of the Alliance expeditionary force, Fleet Admiral [[Lassalle Lobos]], unwilling to relinquish his gains or admit defeat in the invasion, ordered all remaining forces to gather at the [[Amritsar Starzone]] in an attempt battle the combined Imperial Fleet directly ''en masse''. Reinhard was more than willing to oblige. At the [[Battle of Amritsar]], Reinhard personally led the obliteration of the Free Planets Alliance invasion force. After the loss of much of the 8th and 5th Fleets, the 13th Fleet and the surviving remnants of the others managed to withdraw due to Yang's tactics and cooperation with Bewcock. Despite the Empire's ultimate victory, Reinhard was nonetheless frustrated with Yang being able to prevent him from achieving "total victory" over the remaining Alliance forces, taking out his anger on vice admiral [[Fritz Joseph Bittenfeld]] for a tactical blunder he made during the battle until Kircheis advised him to not make enemies of his subordinates. ({{logh|015}})<br />
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Following their disastrous defeat, the devastated Alliance forces withdrew to Iserlohn Fortress with Yang's 13th Fleet remaining the only combat capable formation out of those that had taken part in the invasion. The Alliance had lost around two-thirds of its military strength, over twenty million troops. However, any thought of celebration in the Empire was quickly muted by a surprising development: the death of the Emperor from a heart attack. ({{logh|015|016}})<br />
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===The Imperial Civil War===<br />
[[File:Erwin Josef II coronation.png|thumb|210px|left|Reinhard and Lichtenlade at the coronation of Erwin Josef ({{d|796|uc}})]]<br />
No sooner had the Free Planets Alliance been routed at Amritsar, did Reinhard learn that Kaiser Friedrich IV had died peacefully in his sleep, thus robbing Reinhard of his vengeance. There was no official heir-apparent since Crown Prince [[Ludwig]]'s death some years ago, thus it was inevitable that a struggle would occur over the throne between the Kaiser's immediate grandchildren: [[Elisabeth von Braunschweig]], [[Sabine von Littenheim]], and [[Erwin Josef II|Erwin Josef von Goldenbaum]]. The first two hailed from the two most powerful aristocratic families in the Empire, while Erwin Josef (five years old at the time) was the son of the deceased Crown Prince. Kaiser Friedrich's former minister of state and prime minister, Klaus von Lichtenlade, wanted to see the boy on the throne in order to be able to use him, rather than let either Otto von Braunschweig or Wilhelm von Littenheim take his position. Thus he sought Reinhard's assistance, as being a civil servant he had no military forces of his own. Paul von Oberstein foresaw this and thus Reinhard chose to support Lichtenlade, although both harbored no illusions that they were merely using each other. Lichtenlade became the Imperial regent and elevated his peerage to Duke, while Reinhard gained the title of Marquis. ({{logh|016}})<br />
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It was also during this time that he first met [[Hildegard von Mariendorf]], the daughter of Count [[Franz von Mariendorf]], a high noble family that decided to side with him in the coming struggle rather than Braunschweig. Hildegard visited him shortly before the beginning of the conflict and pledged her family's fealty to him, in exchange for a guarantee of their wealth and territory. She would play an important role in rallying some [[Nobility#Reformer Nobles|reformist nobles]] to Reinhard's camp. ({{logh|018}})<br />
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Meanwhile, many of the high nobles saw this as a blatant attempt by Reinhard and Lichtenlade to usurp the Imperial throne from the Goldenbaum family, the final straw in what they saw as Reinhard's treason against the dynasty. These reactionary nobles, led by Duke von Braunschweig and Marquis von Littenheim, rallied and created their own organization to counter the influence of the Lohengramm–Lichtenlade axis and defend the old order, becoming known as the [[Lippstadt League]]. Their combined arms and wealth were greater than those of the central government, and so Reinhard struck preemptively in an attempt to pacify them. While they did seize control of government buildings and arrested some high nobles, the majority managed to escape, including Braunschweig and Littenheim. They gathered on [[Geiersburg Fortress]], their new headquarters, and named the renowned Imperial High Admiral [[Willibald Joachim von Merkatz]] as the commander-in-chief of the Lippstadt allied forces. As they were revolting against the child Kaiser, Reinhard had the nobles named the "Rebel Forces" in official documents, the same name that the Empire had used to refer to the Free Planets Alliance ever since the [[Battle of Dagon]] over 150 years earlier. Lichtenlade's government named Reinhard von Lohengramm the holder of all three offices of the Imperial Chiefs of Staff simultaneously, making him the Imperial Fleet Supreme Commander. ({{logh|016|018}})<br />
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[[File:Reinhard 4.jpg|thumb|210px|Reinhard during the civil war ({{d|797|uc}})]]<br />
Reinhard himself oversaw the main operation against Geiersburg Fortress, while leaving his friend High Admiral Kircheis to pacify the noble-controlled frontier and other sectors. Under his command, the loyalist Imperial forces were able to drive the Lippstadt fleet back towards Geiersburg in the [[Freya Starzone]], where the high nobles took refuge in the fortress. Eventually, they left and attempted to [[Assault on Geiersburg Fortress|break the siege]], only to be beaten back. However, the Imperial Fleet's success over the numerically superior Lippstadt forces led to the nobles becoming increasingly aggravated. Whena revolt occurred on the planet [[Westerland]] and the local lord, [[Scheidt|a relative]] of Duke von Braunschweig, was murdered by his subjects, he ordered a nuclear strike on the planet. The Duke ignored the advice of his commanders and the attack was launched. Reinhard initially wanted to intercept it, but procrastinated in making a final decision as Oberstein wanted to let it go ahead and use it for propaganda purposes against the nobles. Oberstein did not tell Reinhard the correct time in which the attack would reach the planet, and it happened before he made a decision. A reconnaissance ship documented the [[Westerland Massacre|massacre]] and the images were beamed throughout the Empire, eliminating any of the popular support that the Lippstadt League might of had. However, the fact that Reinhard essentially played a role in this tragedy would haunt him for the rest of his life. ({{logh|020|022|089}})<br />
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Not long after that, the nobles in Geiersburg became increasingly depressed while the fortress garrison became restless and began to rebel. Braunschweig decided to lead his forces in a final charge against the enemy, only for it to be routed. After he arrived at the fortress, a mass mutiny broke out among the troops and the Duke himself was forced to commit suicide by his chief retainer, Commodore [[Ansbach]]. Reinhard then arrived triumphantly at Geiersburg as the final resistance had ceased. However, when Ansbach presented the Duke's body to the victorious Reinhard, he pulled out a hidden weapon from within Braunschweig's corpse and attempted to fire at the young admiral. Siegfried Kircheis immediately attempted to shield Reinhard, and was killed as a result. Reinhard went into a inconsolable depression, and refused to see anyone. Seeing this, his admirals decided to take matters into their own hands. At the advice of Paul von Oberstein, both the assassination attempt and the murder of Kircheis were blamed on the Imperial Regent, Klaus von Lichtenlade. Reinhard's subordinates subsequently sent their fleets to the capital, Odin, to arrest Lichtenlade. ({{logh|023|025|026}})<br />
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As Reinhard remained on Geiersburg, the Imperial fleets landed on Odin and seized control of the capital. Lichtenlade was arrested and forced to commit suicide, while the [[Imperial Seal]] was retrieved and transferred to Reinhard himself, thereby firmly established his new and total authority over the Empire. However, this victory was blackened by the death of Kircheis and the subsequent decision by his sister Annerose into withdrawing into seclusion on Odin, feeling guilty over her brother's friend's death. His remark to Oskar von Reuenthal over the fate of the defeated Lichtenlade's family, that he could also try challenging him if he felt he could do it, would also be the beginning of an emotional crisis in Reuenthal that would see its conclusion years later in a dramatic fashion. ({{logh|026}})<br />
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==Prime minister==<br />
===Reforming the Reich===<br />
[[File:PMresidence.png|thumb|210px|Jubilant crowds in front of the [[Prime Minister's official residence|Reich Chancellery]], Odin ({{d|798|uc}})]]<br />
With the fall of both Lichtenlade and the high nobles, Reinhard was left as the single most powerful figure in the country, and after being appointed Prime Minister of the Galactic Empire (simultaneously as the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet), Reinhard set about implementing drastic reforms. He received help from reformist nobles such as [[Hildegarde von Mariendorf]], [[Eugen Richter]], and [[Karl Braque]], the latter two being cabinet ministers who gave up their noble titles to serve Reinhard. The child Emperor Erwin Josef II was not a threat and was essentially a puppet, and thus Prime Minister Duke von Lohengramm became the ''de facto'' dictator of the Empire.<br />
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Among those reforms he instituted early on, starting in January {{d|798|uc}}, were nationalizing the wealth of the defeated high nobles, which alleviated the Empire's economic problems in a single decision, as well as abolishing the traditional class system itself—much to the support of the common people. In addition, he closed down the [[Department of Social Discipline]] which had maintained thought control among the citizenry. The promotion of civil liberties and other rights that would have been unthinkable just a couple of years ago became the new norm. Although the Goldenbaum Dynasty ''de jure'' remained in power, its foundations were effectively being swept away. However, despite his success in seizing control of the Empire, Reinhard continued to suffer an emotional crisis over the death of Kircheis and the withdrawal of his sister Annerose into seclusion as a result of Kircheis' death. ({{logh|027}})<br />
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Keeping with his beliefs about the wealth of the nobility, Reinhard elected to vacate his estate in Schwarzen after Annerose had moved into seclusion. He chose to move into the much more spartan surrounds of military housing. While his home was built for a high-ranking office, it had only a study, a bedroom, bathroom, living room, dining room, kitchen, and a private room for a personal attendant. In addition, accommodations in the corner of his garden were made for his security detail.<br />
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Financial institutions that had been exclusive to the nobility were removed and replaced with "Farmer's Safes" -- a sort of bank which provided low-interest farming loans to freed serfs.<br />
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At the same time, during this early period of reform, the Lohengramm government became entangled in the plots of the Fezzani autonomous region leader, [[Adrian Rubinsky]]. Seeing that the Empire had been strengthened by its [[Imperial Civil War|civil war]] while the [[Alliance Civil War|one]] in the Alliance had weakened it, he decided to allow the Empire to conquer the devastated Alliance so that Fezzan could seize control of this new regime. To that effect, their first plan was to pitch the idea of putting warp-capable engines on Geiersburg Fortress and using it to attack Iserlohn, sending the information regarding that plan to the Imperial Fleet's science and technology inspector general, Admiral [[Anton Hilmer von Schaft]]. Schaft proposed the plan and it was accepted by Reinhard, but not with much enthusiasm, as the public and the Imperial leadership were largely not in favor of any more war and would rather have a period of rebuilding. Nonetheless, Reinhard authorized the plan to mobilize Geiersburg Fortress to Iserlohn, and the testing the new engines was successful on 18 March {{d|798|uc}}. At the same time, unbeknownst to Reinhard or the Empire, the Fezzanis had gone to work in arranging that Yang Wen-li, who had been appointed as commander-in-chief, Iserlohn, was summoned by the Alliance government away from the fortress before the Imperial attack. After Reinhard gave the order, Geiersburg entered the Iserlohn Corridor on April 10. ({{logh|028|029|030|031}})<br />
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Even as the Geiersburg deployment was playing out, the Fezzanis hatched yet another scheme to keep the Alliance and Empire from realizing that they could coexist and make it inevitable that one had to destroy the other. As part of this scheme, two former Lippstadt League veterans who were living in exile on Fezzan, Count [[Alfred von Landsberg]] and Captain [[Leopold Schumacher]], were hired by Rubinsky's aide [[Rupert Kesserling]] to kidnap the child Emperor and bring him to the Alliance, where they would set up a "legitimate" [[Galactic Empire Legitimate Government|government-in-exile]] with the other high nobles. Ultimately, the Iserlohn garrison was able to hold out without Yang, and he eventually returned. At that point, the combined Alliance forces were able to defeat the Imperial invaders and destroy Geiersburg. This defeat enraged Reinhard, who had not expected [[Karl Gustav Kempff]] to lose 90% of his forces in this attempt. The young Imperial dictator had appointed Kempff to the position of Geiersburg commander, but had remarked he was the kind of admiral who was no longer useful if he lived too long. Although he outwardly mourned the demise of Kempff, it still made one of his chief retainers, High Admiral Oskar von Reuenthal, uneasy, and set the early seeds of what would manifest itself years later. But Reinhard remembered Kircheis, and how he would have urged restraint on Reinhard's part, and thus decided not to punish Kempff's returning second-in-command, Neidhart Müller. ({{logh|029|030|033|035}})<br />
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===The Emperor's Abduction===<br />
[[File:Kaiserine Catherine coronation.png|thumb|210px|left|Prime Minister Lohengramm announcing the coronation of Empress Catherine ({{d|798|uc}})]]<br />
With the loss of the Geiersburg Fortress and the [[Kempff Fleet]] last spring, the Imperial public was largely against the idea of any further extended warfare, to Reinhard's annoyance. But the Fezzani plan that had been put in motion would culminate during the summer of {{d|798|uc}} and make another confrontation inevitable. In June, the Prime Minister was informed by the Military Police chief Ulrich Kesler that Landsberg and Schumacher arrived on the Imperial capital with Fezzani passports. He orders them to be tracked and after some discussions with his secretary, Hildegarde von Mariendorf, he summoned Fezzan's ambassador on Odin, [[Nicholas Boltik]]. Reinhard deduced the essence of the Fezzani plot to kidnap the child Kaiser, and essentially made a deal to go along with their plan to help him conquer the Alliance, with the kidnapping and the government-in-exile that would be created providing the necessary ''casus belli''. Both men left the discussion being convinced that they were successfully using each other, although Boltik did not surmise the extent of Reinhard's own plan, which was to use the demilitarized Fezzan Corridor to take the Alliance by surprise and avoid attacking Iserlohn. Boltik said he would ask his government about it, but Reinhard secretly made up his mind to seize control of it forcefully. ({{logh|036}})<br />
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Because of this, Reinhard basically permitted Landsberg and Schumacher to go ahead and kidnap the Emperor. On the night of July 6–7, the two Lippstadt veterans carry out their plan and kidnap Erwin Josef II from his palace. Fezzan arranged for them to be taken by a smuggler through the Fezzan Corridor to the Alliance, where they used their influence to make sure the Alliance government under [[Job Trunicht]] went along with their plan. Meanwhile, the young Imperial leader declared a state of emergency and convened a meeting of the High Command, in which he told his admirals to place their fleets into immediate combat readiness. Later, a broadcast from the Alliance revealed the composition of the new "Galactic Empire Legitimate Government" under the Kaiser and led by premier [[Jochen von Remscheid]], a high noble Lippstadt supporter and former Imperial high commissioner to Fezzan. Trunicht also stated the Free Planets Alliance's willingness to assist the former Goldenbaum loyalists in a united front against Reinhard. On August 20, Reinhard officially confirmed the kidnapping of Erwin Josef II and denounced the Alliance government for its responsibility in this matter, thus essentially declaring war. ({{logh|036|037|038}})<br />
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On September 20, Reinhard von Lohengramm proclaimed the abdication of the kidnapped Erwin Josef II, and named eight-month old infant [[Catherine von Goldenbaum]] as his successor on the throne, making her the Empire's first Kaiserin, as well as the 38th and last Goldenbaum monarch. ({{logh|041}})<br />
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===Operation Ragnarök: Fall of the Alliance===<br />
[[File:Reinhard sun(DVD-CA).jpg|thumb|210px|Reinhard arriving on occupied Fezzan ({{d|799|uc}})]]<br />
An invasion plan was quickly developed by Reinhard and his admirals, which was based on using the Fezzan Corridor to invade the Alliance. Boltik decided to cooperate with Reinhard and was to be appointed as the interim governor-general of Fezzan after its occupation. Reinhard then officially announced an operation against Iserlohn, while leaving out the part of their plan to invade Fezzan (which Yang Wen-li foresaw, but was ignored by his government). On the same day that Empress Catherine I was put on the throne, High Admiral Oskar von Reuenthal led a fleet to attack Iserlohn Fortress. The attack served its purpose, to distract the Alliance leadership, while the bulk of Reinhard von Lohengramm's fleets then entered the Fezzan Corridor. In December of {{d|798|uc}}, High Admiral Wolfgang Mittermeyer, the Gale Wolf, successfully invaded and occupied the Dominion of Fezzan, taking Rubinsky completely by surprise and forcing him to go into hiding. Once the planet was firmly under the control of Mittermeyer's forces (although Rubinsky was able to evade capture), the rest of Reinhard's fleets entered Fezzani space. When Duke Reinhard von Lohengramm disembarked the ''Brünhild'' on Fezzan's surface, he was met by the loud cheering of tens of thousands of Imperial sailors, all chanting, 'Sieg mein Kaiser! Sieg Kaiser Reinhard!' The young Imperial dictator celebrated New Year's with his officers on Fezzan before continuing the campaign. ({{logh|041|042|043|044}})<br />
<br />
The first stage of [[Operation Ragnarök]], to secure Fezzan while launching a distraction near Iserlohn, was completed and set the Alliance people and government into a panic. The combined defeats at Astarte, Amritsar, and the civil war had effectively destroyed most of the Free Planets Star Fleet's fighting forces, leaving the [[Yang Fleet]] on Iserlohn and the [[1st Fleet]] on Heinessen as the only combat capable formations. Although the Fleet General Staff Office gave Yang clearance to "do what you think is best", in other words giving him permission to abandon Iserlohn and to come fight against the main Imperial force, some time was necessary for this to be carried out. Meanwhile, the 1st Fleet set forth from the Alliance capital to meet the advancing Imperial forces (the [[Mittermeyer Fleet]] entered Alliance space from the Fezzan Corridor on 8 January {{d|799|uc}}), along with various reserve and systems defense squadrons that collectively became the [[14th Fleet]] and [[15th Fleet]]. This new Combined Fleet was under overall command of Admiral Bewcock, the commander-in-chief of the Space Fleet. The two forces clashed in the [[Battle of Rantemario]] (February {{d|799|uc}}), and despite being outnumbered the Alliance forces put up a fierce resistance that ultimately failed to achieve its objective of defeating the Imperials. The Yang Fleet, leaving Iserlohn Fortress for Reuenthal to retake, was not able to arrive in time to prevent them from being defeated, but did distract the Imperial Fleet with an attack from the rear to give time for the surviving Alliance vessels under Bewcock to withdraw, and in the coming weeks Admiral Yang waged a guerrilla war against the Imperial invaders. ({{logh|044|045|046|048|049}})<br />
<br />
The Alliance Secretary of Defense [[Walter Islands]] agreed to Yang's plan of using harassment raids on Imperial supply convoys and defeating other Imperial fleets to draw out Reinhard and kill him in battle, which could end the Imperial invasion. Yang was able to successfully destroy the poorly-guarded supply convoy, much to Reinhard's annoyance, who had Rear Admiral [[Sombart]] punished for his failure to defend it. The young Alliance hero was also able to defeat other second-tier admirals under Reinhard, deliberately avoiding Reuenthal and Mittermeyer (Reinhard's "twin pillars"), and finally got Reinhard to decide to draw out Yang by coming to battle himself. ({{logh|049|050}})<br />
<br />
===The Battle of Vermilion===<br />
[[File:Yang Reinhard Vermilion encounter.jpg|thumb|left|210px|The two fleets at Vermillion ({{d|799|uc}})]]<br />
Since the Alliance hoped that that Reinhard's death could cause the Galactic Empire to fragment into another civil war and knowing this, the young conqueror dispersed his admirals, keeping only a relatively small main fleet with himself. He hoped that by using himself as bait he would draw Yang into an open confrontation. This strategy succeeded, and the two opposing fleets reached each other in the [[Vermillion Starzone]] on April 24. In the [[Battle of Vermillion]], Reinhard chose to use attrition tactics to wear down the Alliance forces, however, after Yang was unable to reach the ''Brünhild'', he tried to use a different approach. He used several asteroids from a nearby asteroid field and use his vessels to launch them towards Reinhard's formation, which was then thrown into disarray. However, while Yang then continued towards Reinhard's now exposed flagship, the [[Müller Fleet]] arrived in the system (the first Imperial unit to return) and prevented the Alliance from breaking through. Thus Niedhart Müller redeemed himself for the Geiersburg failure last year, and secured a reputation as the third most capable fleet commander after Reuenthal and Mittermeyer, becoming known as "Iron Wall" Müller. ({{logh|051|052}})<br />
<br />
However, the Müller Fleet was caught in an encirclement along with the bulk of Reinhard's remaining forces by the Alliance, and Yang led a detachment to attack the ''Brünhild''. It was the first tactical defeat in battle that Reinhard faced in his life. However, before they could open fire and finish him off, the Alliance fleet suddenly received an order to stand down and ask for a ceasefire. Hildegard von Mariendorf had foreseen Yang's victory over Reinhard because she believed he was a better tactician, and had asked Reuenthal and Mittermeyer to take their forces to seize the undefended Heinessen, the capital, and forced the Alliance government to surrender. The plan succeeded and the [[High Council]] under Trunicht completely surrendered, ordering Yang to stand down. Yang, although urged by subordinates like [[Walter von Schönkopf]] to fire anyway, decided to obey the order and asked Reinhard for a ceasefire. Soon after, the battle was over and more Imperial fleets began returning to the Vermillion Starzone. The battle became the first and only tactical defeat of Reinhard in his life, although it was ultimately an Imperial strategic victory thanks to Hildegard von Mariendorf's actions. ({{logh|052|053}})<br />
<br />
==New Galactic Empire==<br />
===Establishing a new state===<br />
[[File:Reinhard with crown at throne (BD).jpg|thumb|210px|Reinhard with the crown at his coronation ({{d|799|uc}})]]<br />
Shortly after the battle, Yang boarded a shuttle and arrived on the ''Brünhild'', where he discussed philosophy with Reinhard regarding democracy versus dictatorship, and the two left the discussion agreeing to disagree. In the end, Yang declined Reinhard's offer to make him an Imperial Fleet Admiral, while Reinhard maintained the belief that Yang would have been willing to give up on the Alliance and join him. The young Imperial leader allowed Yang to depart and gave him assurances that he would not exact any revenge on Alliance politicians or military officers. Having secured the Alliance government's surrender, one of the final acts of the Lohengramm government under Goldenbaum rule was to conclude the signing of the [[Treaty of Ba'alat]], which essentially made the Alliance a client state of the Empire. Reinhard himself returned to Odin after appointing [[Helmut Lennenkampf]] as the Imperial consul on Heinessen and on 20 June {{D|799|uc}}, Duke [[Jürgen Offer von Pegnitz]], the father and Imperial regent of the young Kaiserin, signed a letter of abdication on her behalf, seceding her position to the blond admiral. Thus ended the nearly five hundred-year history of the Goldenbaum Dynasty. His coronation as the Kaiser was on June 22, held with a modest ceremony organized by Count [[Franz von Mariendorf]] (Hildegard's father), that Reinhard said would serve as a template from then on as opposed to the pompous and wasteful Goldenbaum era national ceremonies. With his victory over the Alliance, he had become the first [[Goldenlöwe Dynasty]] Kaiser of the [[New Galactic Empire]] and most powerful individual in the galaxy. However, Reinhard was disappointed that the two people he wanted to see there the most—Kircheis and Annerose—were not there. ({{logh|054|055}})<br />
<br />
In the weeks after the coronation, he accelerated the internal reforms that he began as Prime Minister of the previous dynasty. Reinhard chose to continue on as the head of government himself while also being head of state, naming Count Franz von Mariendorf as his deputy, the Minister of State. The young ruler later lamented that had Kircheis been alive, he could have focused solely on political affairs while leaving his friend to manage the military. Reinhard appointed Minister of Industry [[Bruno von Silberberch]] to design the new Imperial City on Fezzan, revealing that he intended to move the Imperial capital there from Odin. He also commissioned the minister of education, Professor [[Seeferd]], to write an official history of the Goldenbaum Dynasty, and later reviewed the formerly secret, now declassified information on Goldenbaum emperors that Seeferd had uncovered. Around the same time, Paul von Oberstein—now the Minister of Military Affairs under the new dynasty—suggested to Reinhard to idea of getting married and producing an heir to secure his rule. However, he implied that the most likely candidate, Hildegard, was not fit for the role as he did not want her to monopolize affairs of the state and become another Kircheis, in essence. Reinhard dismissed such worries from Oberstein and did not take his suggestion too seriously at the time. ({{logh|055|057|058|059}})<br />
<br />
However, during that period, Reinhard paid a visit to the terminally-ill Baron [[Heinrich von Kümmel]]'s estate, as a favor for Count von Mariendorf, who was his guardian. However, the event ended badly when Kümmel tried to take Reinhard hostage with some explosives installed in his backyard under their dining table. He did it mainly out a desire to not die without being remembered for something in history, but the event had actually been organized by the [[Terraism|Terraist Church]]. The assassination attempt on the Kaiser failed, however, when Reinhard hit the bomb detonation switch out of the Baron's hand. The plot resulted in Reinhard ordering the persecution of the Terraist Church, a religion that was previously tolerated by the Empire. Despite [[Internal Security Department]] chief [[Heydrich Lang]], a subordinate of interior minister [[Osmayer]], protesting that they needed more time to conduct a full investigation, Reinhard decided to shut it down by force. Its Odin branch was shut down by force, and soon the new Kaiser ordered an expedition to [[Earth]], the Church headquarters, in order to pacify the group of fanatics for their attempt on his life. For this task he assigned Admiral [[August Samuel Wahlen]]. The Mariendorfs, who were temporarily put under house arrest after the incident, were reinstated in their offices by an edict from the Kaiser and any talk about their involvement in treasonous activity was banned. ({{logh|057|058}})<br />
<br />
===War with Earth and Lennenkampf affair===<br />
[[File:ImperialWAFVgunhatch.jpg|thumb|left|210px|Imperial soldiers subjugating the Earth Church on Odin ({{d|799|uc}})]]<br />
Wahlen was dispatched to Earth by Reinhard shortly after the assassination plot, and he managed to successfully subjugate the planet, although the Terraist ideology did not die out completely. Wahlen himself nearly became the victim of an assassination plot by the Terraists and had to get a prosthetic arm after being stabbed with a poisonous knife. Meanwhile, a situation was developing in the Alliance which would soon become a headache for Reinhard. The Imperial consul assigned to Heinessen became increasingly hostile towards the retired Yang Wen-li, who was living a quiet life as a pensioner, due to rumors about his involvement with anti-Imperial resistance groups and hysteria from the incumbent Alliance administration under [[João Rebelo]] (Trunicht's successor, who resigned after Vermillion). The situation deteriorated when a resistance cell established by Yang immediately after Vermillion—led by High Admiral Willibald Joachim von Merkatz, the former Lippstadt commander who defected to the Alliance after the Imperial Civil War and served as Yang's ally—had hijacked decommissioned Alliance warships on 17 July {{d|799|uc}}. Lennenkampf was worried about Yang's intentions and the postwar Alliance government's ability to keep stability in the client state. ({{logh|054|058|060|063}})<br />
<br />
Oberstein spoke with the Imperial consul and told him that Yang should be arrest preemptively so that Reinhard can use the subsequent uprising from anti-Imperial groups that would be the result as an excuse to completely annex the Alliance. Meanwhile, Supreme Council Chairman Rebelo decided to arrest him first to not give the New Empire a chance to intervene. This ended up causing members of the elite Rosen Ritter regiment—against whom Reinhard fought back in his days as a mere commodore in the Imperial Fleet, on Van-Fleet—to rise up and kidnap Rebelo on Heinessen. They took him hostage and used it to secure their escape, although the government decided to try to execute the arrested Yang regardless. However, the Rosen Ritter freed Yang and escaped from the planet after storming the Imperial consulate and taking Lennenkampf himself hostage. With the consul as their hostage, the rebels were able to depart from Heinessen. Unbeknownst to the rest of the public, Lennenkampf actually committed suicide in his cell, but the just pretended that he was still alive to get away. Although Reinhard did not immediately react to the events that unfolded on Heinessen, he did formalize his plan to move the Imperial capital to Fezzan from Odin around the same time, indicating he intended to eventually annex the Alliance completely. ({{logh|060|061|062|065}})<br />
<br />
In the midst of this, the planet [[El Facil]] declared independence from the Alliance and became an independent state on August 13, and began trying to aggressively recruit Fleet Admiral Yang. The Rebelo administration denounced this move and thus El Facil became isolated. However, shortly after that a report on the situation from Admiral Steinmetz and the head of the Imperial consulate on Heinessen since Lennenkampf's death, Vice Admiral [[Sahm]], explained to Reinhard what had occurred, and the Kaiser made his decision. Given the rift between Yang and the Alliance administration, Reinhard again considered the possibility of Yang joining him. That was why in his official broadcast on November 10 explaining the events on Heinessen to the public, he left an open offer for Yang to join him, condemning the Alliance government for selling out both Lennenkampf and Yang. The Kaiser also announced that the Treaty of Ba'alat had been violated, and this could only be rectified with force. The next day he announced to his admirals the personnel decisions for the second Ragnarök operation. ({{logh|065|066|067}})<br />
<br />
===Ragnarök again===<br />
[[File:Brunhild.jpg|thumb|210px|''Brünhild'' at Marr-Adetta ({{d|800|uc}})]]<br />
While Yang ended up deciding to go to El Facil and planned to retake Iserlohn Fortress, Reinhard commanded the main Imperial fleet on its march into Alliance space for a second time, in December {{d|799|uc}}. In January the fleet engaged the remnants of the Free Planets Star Fleet under Alexandre Bewcock's command, who utilized the dangerous terrain of the [[Marr-Adetta Starzone]] to his advantage in order to make up for the vast numerical difference. After brief encounters in a corridor running through an asteroid belt, Bewcock's fleet attacked the Imperial formation from the rear. They were able to break through the Müller Fleet towards Reinhard's flagship only to be surrounded by the Imperial forces. Reinhard, on the suggestion of Hildegard von Mariendorf, offered Bewcock a chance to surrender, but the old man refused, instead choosing annihilation. Afterwards, the young kaiser was enraged when heard of Lutz's loss of Iserlohn Fortress to Yang Wen-li, but decided to ignore it for now and continue on to Heinessen. ({{logh|068|069|070|071}})<br />
<br />
On 9 February {{d|800|Uc}}, Reinhard became the first emperor to set foot on Heinessen, as the Free Planets Alliance unconditionally surrendered to the New Empire. On February 20, the 273-year history of the Alliance is ended, with the state being annexed by the New Galactic Empire. Among his first acts was to have Alliance Joint Operations HQ chief Admiral [[Rockwell]] executed, who had killed Supreme Council Chairman Rebelo in the hope of buying security from Reinhard. Quite the opposite, he acquired the Kaiser's hatred for committing such a shameless act. Reinhard immediately contemplated a campaign against the [[El Facil Revolutionary Government]], or more specifically, Yang Wen-li at Iserlohn. However, an incident that demanded the Kaiser's attention prevented any immediate military action against the republicans. The scheming [[Heydrich Lang]], head of the [[Internal Security Department]] and one of the few Goldenbaum era high officials to keep a post under Reinhard's new regime, accused the Chief of the High Command Office, Oskar von Reuenthal, of being guilty of treason. The circumstances surrounding Reuenthal's relationship to a woman of the deposed Lichtenlade clan, [[Elfriede von Kohlrausch]], became the main 'evidence' of treason. Remembering the heterochromatic admiral's pledge of fealty back in {{d|795|uc}}, Reinhard did not agree with Lang's accusations against one of his most important vassals, one of the Twin Pillars of the Goldenlöwe Dynasty, and reinstated Reuenthal. Instead of remaining as Chief of High Command, however, he was instead granted another post by the Kaiser—that of Governor-General of the [[Neue Land|former Alliance territories]]. Although this was Kaiser Reinhard recognizing Reuenthal's loyalty and service, it ultimately would lead to tragedy in the future. ({{logh|073|074|075|076}})<br />
<br />
===The Battle of the Corridor===<br />
[[File:Corridor beam barrage.jpg|left|thumb|210px|The Imperial fleet entering the Corridor ({{d|800|uc}})]]<br />
Having secured the Alliance territories and leaving them to Reuenthal's administration, the Kaiser ordered his admirals [[Fritz Joseph Bittenfeld]] and [[Adalbert von Fahrenheit]] to secure the space around the Iserlohn Corridor. Their fleets departed on 23 March {{d|800|uc}}. A terrorist bombing occurred on Fezzan in April that resulted in the death of industry minister Silberberch, while Oberstein and Cornelius Lutz escaped with minor injuries. Reinhard continued with the Iserlohn operation, however. Before the Kaiser could arrive at the front, Bittenfeld and Fahrenheit disobeyed his orders and engaged the Yang Fleet ("El Facil Revolutionary Reserve Force"), being led by [[Dusty Attemborough]]'s squadron into the corridor. Ultimately, the Imperial force was defeated by Yang's tactics and Fahrenheit became the first high admiral of the new dynasty to be killed in battle. Outraged at the result and that they did not wait for his arrival, Reinhard still did not punish Bittenfeld and had Fahrenheit be posthumously promoted to fleet admiral. ({{logh|076|077|079}})<br />
<br />
Attemborough's squadron had lined the entrance to the Iserlohn Corridor with mines, though the Empire used directional Seffle particles to break through it and attack the Yang Fleet. After some fighting, the El Facil Revolutionary Reserve Force used the narrow confines of the corridor to its advantage and nearly reached the Imperial Supreme Flagship, resulting in the death of High Admiral Karl Robert Steinmetz. They were unable to reach Reinhard, though, and the battle fell into a stalemate. Bittenfeld's [[Black Lancers]] unknowingly killed [[Edwin Fischer]], Yang's deputy fleet commander and specialist in fleet maneuvers, severely crippling the Yang Fleet's ability to continue a coordinated fight. However, before the Imperial Fleet could deliver the ''coup de grâce'' to the remaining Alliance forces—suffering from less personnel and supplies—Kaiser Reinhard fell ill and requested a ceasefire with Yang. Admiral Yang and his colleagues accepted the Imperial offer, as their intention had been to last long enough to "win" a peace treaty with the New Empire. Reinhard later revealed that his memories of Kircheis were what led him to declare a ceasefire, claiming that Kircheis told him to become a friend of his constant rival. ({{logh|080|081|082}})<br />
<br />
However, Yang never made it to the peace talks: his cruiser, ''[[Leda II]]'', was intercepted by Imperial destroyers crewed by Terraist sympathizers, who used their disguises to get aboard and kill Yang, among many others. He died of blood loss on 1 June {{d|800|uc}}. The Kaiser was devastated by Yang's death, as he believed only he had the right to kill the man who had outwitted him on multiple occasions. In the end, the young monarch sent High Admiral Müller as his representative to the Iserlohn republicans to express condolences and discuss the future relations between the Empire and the republican faction, as the El Facil Revolutionary Government chose to disband itself, thus forcing Yang's successors to establish the [[Iserlohn Republic]]. Reinhard himself continued to manage Imperial political affairs from his sickbed, regretting that he had few political experts equivalent to his admirals' capability in military affairs. Because of this the Kaiser lamented the deaths of Bruno von Silberberch, a potential candidate for the post of prime minister, and Kircheis, to whom he could have left the management of the military while focusing on civil administration. ({{logh|082|083|084}})<br />
<br />
===Political intrigues===<br />
[[File:Capital transfer order.jpg|thumb|210px|Kaiser Reinhard announcing the moving of the capital ({{d|800|uc}})]]<br />
Although Reinhard did not recognize the Republic, he made no move to attack it, as with Yang's death it became mostly irrelevant to him. The Iserlohn faction lost a large number of personnel, who decided to leave upon the loss of Admiral Yang. But the political chaos in the galaxy was not over. As the Kaiser gave the official order to transfer the Imperial Capital from Odin to Fezzan, his admirals became entangled with the meddling of Heydrich Lang in political affairs, who was secretly in contact with Fezzani leader Rubinsky. Reinhard also reluctantly granted the disgraced Alliance politician Job Trunicht a post as a senior councilor at the Neue Land Governor-General's Office, initially expecting him to refuse to return to the former country he sold out, but was amazed by the man's shamelessness when Trunicht accepted the position. During that time he also had an audience with not only Fleet Admiral Mittermeyer (who served as Reinhard's Space Fleet Commander-in-Chief), but also his wife [[Evangelin Mittermeyer|Evangelin]]. With Mittermeyer he also reminisced of the time he first met Reuenthal. ({{logh|084|085|086|087}})<br />
<br />
While he was visiting a memorial in August {{d|800|uc}} that commemorated the dead soldiers of the Imperial Fleet, he was the victim of an assassination attempt by someone in the crowd. The attempt was easily prevented by the [[Imperial Guard]] but the man publicly accused Reinhard of complicity in the Westerland Massacre three years ago, back during the Lippstadt Rebellion. The Kaiser was depressed by that event and could not forgive himself for the few million deaths on Westerland, and so he ordered the man who made the attempt to not be executed—while the penalty for attempted regicide under the Goldenbaum Dynasty had been death for the criminal and his entire family. But shortly after this incident, the Kaiser ended up being consoled by Hildegard, who spent the night with him. The next day the flustered Reinhard went to the Mariendorf estate to ask for Hildegard's hand in marriage, wanting to take responsibility for what happened and not be like the promiscuous high nobles had been. ({{logh|089}})<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, the remaining Terraists sought to overthrow Reinhard and did not want him to produce an heir with a future wife. Their main plan became to provoke Oskar von Reuenthal into rebellion, and use that to bring down his new dynasty. On Fezzan, Adrian Rubinsky began a similar plot, using Heydrich Lang as a tool to carry this out. By September, rumors began to circulate that Reuenthal would invite the Kaiser on a trip to the Neue Land and assassinate him there, and in order to test Reinhard's belief in these rumors Reuenthal made an invitation for him to visit Heinessen. The Kaiser accepted and while he made a stop over on [[Uruvasi]], a planet near the Alliance exit of the Fezzan Corridor, he was the subject of another assassination attempt—this time by mutinying and confused Imperial troops. High Admiral Cornelius Lutz was killed defending him and buying time for Reinhard to escape back to his flagship, at which point the ''Brünhild'' left the planet and disappeared for a short while as it made its way back to Fezzan. Upon hearing of this, Fleet Admiral Reuenthal ordered his subordinates to locate and protect the emperor while also dispatching Admiral [[Alfred Grillpalzer]] to restore order on Uruvasi and investigate the mutiny. However, the truth behind the incident on Uruvasi would not be known for some time. ({{logh|090|091|092}})<br />
<br />
===Reuenthal Rebellion===<br />
[[File:Mittermeyer aiming Lang.JPG|thumb|210px|left|Mittermeyer nearly killing Lang over the Reuenthal affair ({{d|800|uc}})]]<br />
With the events on Uruvasi and the death of Lutz, Reuenthal realized that he was being turned into a traitor but could not bring himself to go beg for forgiveness from Reinhard, and by extent, Heydrich Lang behind him. Instead, the prideful admiral, who had ambitions of obtaining power for himself in the past, decided to actually start a revolt. Having secured the loyalty of his staff, including admirals Grillpalzer and [[Bruno von Knappstein]], he set about gaining access to the Iserlohn Corridor from the republicans in exchange for the entire former Alliance territory, but they ultimately declined the offer. The Kaiser was infuriated by Reuenthal's actions and perception that he was being controlled by Lang, who ultimately was investigated and found guilty by Admiral Kesler of having poisoned [[Nicholas Boltik]], the former Fezzan interim governor-general, in prison. Reinhard ordered Reuenthal's best friend, Wolfgang Mittermeyer, to lead the space fleet to pacify his rebellion, as the Kaiser attacking a vassal himself would agitate his other subordinates. Mittermeyer understood that and accepted the mission with a heavy heart, still thinking he might get Reuenthal to stand down. On 14 November {{d|800|uc}}, the Space Fleet Commander-in-Chief led a fleet of some 42,000 ships, along with admirals Wahlen and Bittenfeld, against Reuenthal's Neue Land Security Force. ({{logh|093|094}})<br />
<br />
Further attempts to mend the situation by different parties amount to nothing, and Reuenthal realized that he needed to win a victory to secure the morale of his men, whom he told they are fighting against villainous vassals misleading Reinhard. Ultimately, Reuenthal's forces were defeated during the [[Second Battle of Rantemario]], in which he was fatally wounded, and thus ending his short-lived revolt. Mittermeyer arrived on Heinessen shortly after Reuenthal and visited his friend for the final time, who by then had died in his office. Around the same time, it became known to Kaiser Reinhard and his subordinates of the roles of Grillpalzer and Lang, after an investigation by Admiral Ernest Mecklinger into the events that had transpired on Uruvasi, as well as the Terraist involvement. Lang, hearing of Reuenthal's death, confessed to everything and was subsequently executed, and Grillpalzer was quite likely given the same punishment for his role in covering up the truth behind Uruvasi. Reinhard, who realizes the Mittermeyer is the only one left he could truly depend on, allowed him to adopt Reuenthal's baby son, [[Felix Mittermeyer]]. Around December {{d|800|uc}}, Hildegard revealed that she was pregnant with the Kaiser's child, and accepted his marriage proposal. ({{logh|095|096|097|098|099}})<br />
<br />
===Final months===<br />
[[File:Reinhard and Hildegard wedding.JPG|thumb|210px|Kaiser Reinhard and Kaiserin Hildegard at their wedding ({{d|801|uc}})]]<br />
Reinhard began to get sick more frequently, although the cause of it was initially unknown. Meanwhile, he finally got married to Hildegard von Mariendorf shortly after the new year party in January {{d|801|uc}}, the wedding celebration being on the 29th of that month. Hildegard had been his longtime political advisor since the events of the Imperial Civil War and the potential candidate for his consort in the view of Reinhard's admirals. Meanwhile, riots broke out on Heinessen as a result of a food shortage, something Oberstein interrupted the wedding for to report to the Kaiser. Around that time Count von Mariendorf retired from the office of Minister of State in order to not have too much power as the father of the empress, much to the approval of Oberstein, and the Kaiser offered Fleet Admiral Mittermeyer that position. Also to Reinhard's gladness, his sister Grand Duchess Annerose stepped out of seclusion to attend the wedding, which she supported, and began to visit the pregnant Hildegard on Fezzan. ({{logh|100}})<br />
<br />
Although the riots on the former Alliance capital were pacified, another problem arose in February as [[Julian Mintz]], Yang Wen-li's successor as the leader of the Iserlohn Republic, decided to go to battle against the Kaiser. The Imperial admiralty had pondered the question of their own expedition and decided against it because of the strain to the national treasury, but had no choice now that the republicans were making a move. They scored an initial victory over the [[Wahlen Fleet]] in the Iserlohn Corridor and prompted Reinhard to personally lead an expedition. Reinhard fell ill again, however, thus leaving the Heinessen and Iserlohn questions to be resolved by his admirals. The news of the republican victory at the [[Eleventh Battle of Iserlohn]] encouraged republican agitation on Heinessen. Oberstein infuriated Bittenfeld, Müller, and Wahlen with his plan of using arrested former Alliance officials as hostages to force the Iserlohn republicans to sign a peace agreement. Their argument escalated and Bittenfeld tried to attack Oberstein, resulting in him being placed under house arrest and infighting breaking out between military police under Oberstein's Ministry of Military Affairs and the sailors of Bittenfeld's Black Lancers. Meanwhile, the Kaiser himself heard of this increasingly dangerous situation and traveled to Heinessen personally, ordering the release of the political prisoners after a riot at [[Rugpool Prison]] and bombings throughout [[Heinessenopolis]], asking to negotiate with the Iserlohn republicans. In addition, Rubinsky was apprehended by Oberstein's agents and taken into custody. ({{logh|101|102|103|104|105}})<br />
<br />
In May {{d|801|uc}}, despite the Terraists' attempt to attack Hildegard's residence, she gave birth to [[Alexander Siegfried von Lohengramm]], the prince of the new dynasty, at [[Fezzan Medical University Hospital]]. ({{logh|106}})<br />
<br />
===The Battle of Shiva===<br />
[[File:Brunhildboarded.jpg|left|thumb|210px|''Brünhild'' at Shiva ({{d|801|uc}})]]<br />
Meanwhile in the same month, a minor skirmish between Iserlohn Republic and New Galactic Empire forces would escalate into the final confrontation between the two factions, the [[Battle of Shiva]]. Fighting broke out between a squadron from each side over the escort of a civilian refugee ship, and both sides continued bringing in reinforcements in order to not back down. Julian Mintz wanted to win respect and a right to negotiate on an equal footing with Kaiser Reinhard, while the young ruler wanted both to subjugate them and to test Mintz's abilities. During the battle, the republicans noted the sluggishness of the Imperial Fleet's movements, which was due to Reinhard's impeded command ability from his deteriorating health. A communications blackout eventually occurred between the Imperial forces and HQ as they tried to conceal Reinhard's sudden collapse and unconsciousness. Eventually, the Iserlohn fleet took advantage of it and charged straight for the Supreme Flagship ''Brünhild''. A number of republican ships made it through the Imperial defenders and a boarding vessel made contact with ''Brünhild'''s hull. Getting aboard, the elite Rosen Ritter unit fought the defenders in an attempt to buy time for Mintz to locate the Kaiser, which he eventually was able to do. ({{logh|107|108}})<br />
<br />
Outside, Bittenfeld's Black Lancers and the [[Eisenach Fleet]] managed to fight the rest of the Iserlohn fleet back and dealt them heavy losses, causing the death of their commander, Admiral Merkatz. But on ''Brünhild'', Mintz made it to the Kaiser's chamber and was granted an audience for negotiations, and thus an order for a ceasefire was immediately broadcast to all ships from the Imperial HQ, saving the remnants of the Republic's battered fleet. ({{Logh|108}})<br />
<br />
==Death==<br />
[[File:Finale.PNG|210px|thumb|right|Kaiser Reinhard in his sickbed ({{d|801|uc}})]]<br />
Upon the Imperial expeditionary force's and the Republic fleet's return from Iserlohn to Heinessen on 10 June {{d|801|uc}}, news of Kaiser Reinhard's terminal illness was announced. There both the Kaiser and Mintz discussed the future of the galaxy, including the idea of giving Heinessen autonomy in return for Iserlohn Fortress, or the possibility of implementing a constitution in the Empire. However, Reinhard commented that Julian Mintz would have to discuss the details with Hildegard von Lohengramm, who would be his successor's Imperial regent. Reinhard was eventually diagnosed with a heretofore undiscovered, degenerative disease. Labelled the ' Emperor's Sickness', this malady took Reinhard's life at the age of 25. Even then he was briefly subjected to an attack by the Terraists after Oberstein used a false rumor of Reinhard's recovery to draw out the remaining followers of the Church, which ultimately was stopped but resulted in Oberstein's death. Reinhard von Lohengramm, first Emperor of the New Galactic Empire, died on 26 July {{d|801|uc}}, surrounded by his top admirals, officials, and relatives. Upon his death, Hildegard von Lohengramm assumed rule over the New Galactic Empire as Regent for the infant Alexander Siegfried. ({{logh|109|110}})<br />
<br />
==Legacy==<br />
Reinhard's reign was characterized by a strong sense of justice and personal responsibility. By his own efforts, he claimed dominion over the galaxy, uprooting the old order and overthrowing the three major powers that had previously shared the universe for over a century: the Goldenbaum Dynasty, the Free Planets Alliance, and the Dominion of Fezzan. His enduring wish was to see his New Galactic Empire ruled not by blood but by merit, even if it meant the end of his dynasty. Reinhard may have been the perfect autocrat, but the abilities and personalities of his successors were unknown, paralleling the situation after [[Rudolf von Goldenbaum]] had founded the Empire. Given the groundwork he laid, however, and the moderate influences of his wife, supported by Fleet Admiral Mittermeyer, and the concessions to autonomy for the [[Ba'alat Starzone]] and more representative rule in the whole Empire, it was probable the transition to the early years of the post-Reinhard Empire was reasonably smooth.<br />
<br />
==Personal life==<br />
Reinhard von Lohengramm's desire to take over the universe had originated when his sister Annerose was taken from him and became a concubine at the Imperial court for Kaiser Friedrich IV. The bond between Reinhard, Kircheis, and Annerose was extremely close and served as the stimulus for his meteoric rise to the top, and when it was permanently broken following the Lippstadt War, Reinhard became a changed man. The only outsiders that came the closest to filling the void were Hildegard, his eventual wife, and perhaps Mittermeyer and Reuenthal given their pledge of loyalty and friendship with him, but to a much lesser extent.<br />
<br />
His political views were a mixture of both monarchism and republicanism, as he neither wanted to leave the fate of humanity to the whim of the masses, nor to the prodigal aristocrats who cared about their lineage. Although he opposed elections, neither did he particularly want a hereditary monarchy, and believed that his successor should be the most capable person for the position. In a choice between dictatorship and democracy, however, Reinhard preferred the former. He did have some other firm principles, including his belief in meritocracy and that one should be willing to lead his troops from the front line personally. But ultimately Reinhard's chief concern was the attainment of his ambitions to become the most powerful man in the universe and return to him what had been lost, namely, his sister Annerose.<br />
<br />
Reinhard had respect for Yang Wen-li personally and was willing to debate him on his principles on what could be described as an equal level, a stark difference from his attitude of utter contempt towards the elected Alliance politicians or the ruling nobles in the Goldenbaum empire. He also respected others that were particularly competent or principled, pardoning low level Alliance bureaucrats that refused to turn over sensitive documents and even commenting that had people like them been in charge the Alliance would never have fallen.<br />
<br />
Reinhard also disdained cowardice and treachery, executing the soldiers who murdered Chairman Rebelo to curry favor with him.<br />
<br />
==Appendices==<br />
===Appearances===<br />
<div class="appear"><br />
*{{mciss}} (first appearance)<br />
*{{logh}}<br />
**{{e|001}}<br />
**{{e|002}}<br />
**{{e|004}}<br />
**{{e|005}}<br />
**{{e|008}}<br />
**{{e|009}}<br />
**{{e|011}}<br />
**{{e|013}}<br />
**{{e|014}}<br />
**{{e|015}}<br />
**{{e|016}}<br />
**{{e|017}}<br />
**{{e|018}}<br />
**{{e|019}}<br />
**{{e|020}}<br />
**{{e|022}}<br />
**{{e|023}}<br />
**{{e|025}}<br />
**{{e|026}}<br />
**{{e|027}}<br />
**{{e|028}}<br />
**{{e|029}}<br />
**{{e|030}}<br />
**{{e|031}} (???)<br />
**{{e|033}} (flashback)<br />
**{{e|034}}<br />
**{{e|035}}<br />
**{{e|036}}<br />
**{{e|037}}<br />
**{{e|038}}<br />
**{{e|041}}<br />
**{{e|042}}<br />
**{{e|044}}<br />
**{{e|045}}<br />
**{{e|046}}<br />
**{{e|047}}<br />
**{{e|048}}<br />
**{{e|049}}<br />
**{{e|050}}<br />
**{{e|051}}<br />
**{{e|052}}<br />
**{{e|053}}<br />
**{{e|054}}<br />
**{{e|108}}<br />
**{{e|109}}<br />
**{{e|110}} (death)<br />
*{{gw}}<br />
*{{onw}}<br />
*{{swv}}<br />
**{{e|Chapter I|SWV}}<br />
**{{e|Chapter II|SWV}}<br />
**{{e|Chapter III|SWV}}<br />
**{{e|Chapter IV|SWV}}<br />
*{{ret}}<br />
**{{e|Chapter I|RET}}<br />
**{{e|Chapter II|RET}}<br />
**{{e|Chapter III|RET}}<br />
**{{e|Chapter IV|RET}}<br />
</div><br />
<br />
===Memorable quotes===<br />
*In any age, in any society, when people are small, they look up at the stars and stretch out their hands as if to grasp them. Then at last,they learn that their own arms aren't long enough to reach the stars. They call that becoming an adult. But I don't think so. Without fail, those stars will be in this hand!<br />
<br />
*There is great satisfaction in fighting for the sake of gaining power, but it is joyless to fight for the sake of maintaining it. <br />
<br />
*These idiots. What do they think of others? They think they are born with the right to rule. They think they have the right to hurt others. These people are too evil. And this empire is too corrupted.<br />
<br />
*I want victory — but not because the enemy is weak.<br />
<br />
*It's power. What I need is power. If I should want to get my sister back, then I must first, first of all, possess power that would make those idiots bow to my command. If my enemies are to be the aristocracy, then I need a power greater than theirs. If the emperor is to be my enemy, I must be mightier than even him.<br />
<br />
*For those who have come to power, wealth and glory not by their own strength and effort, but simply through inheritance, what right do they have to complain? The very existence of such blood-lineage dynasties is disgusting. Power is the property of one generation. It shouldn't be transferred, it should be seized.<br />
<br />
*The man who succeeds me must have talent equal to, or greater than my own.<br />
<br />
*Genes determine everything? What nonsense. Hereditary physical qualities have no effect on people, that's for individuals. Heredity concerns family background, not personal abilities. Those who blindly believe in such theories generally having nothing in their own lives to be proud of... they are the people I despise the most.<br />
<br />
*Indeed, small acts of opposition cannot solve every problem. Our society needs a complete revolution. Such problems must be corrected, and we must not wait for others to correct them. We must carry out the revolution with our own hands.<br />
<br />
*If the enemy has anyone with even a tenth of my intelligence, even Iserlohn will fall.<br />
<br />
*Our future battles will not only be on the battlefield. Political struggles, court politics. It's not just a war of words, but also a war of blood.<br />
<br />
*It's to be expected that incompetent rulers be overthrown.<br />
<br />
*Fighting 100 battles does not mean winning 100 victories.<br />
<br />
*Already, I have nothing to lose. But even so, I will fight. To keep my promise to you, and... to gain something to quench the thirst in my heart.<br />
<br />
*What criminals need is neither diplomacy nor persuasion. They have neither the ability nor the intention to understand. Only force will enlighten their foolishness.<br />
<br />
*I aim to be the supreme ruler... and to reach that goal, I have a policy of my own. It is to fight my own battles. That's the difference between myself and the noblemen I've fought and defeated. That's also the reason why the soldiers follow me.<br />
<br />
*I cannot lose to anyone. People admire and stay loyal to me because I'm undefeated. I'm not supported because of my bloodline.<br />
<br />
*Something that is supposed to die and does not... will eventually rot away, whether it's a man or a nation.<br />
<br />
*I don't believe that absolute truth is necessary. I only need the power to freely accomplish my dreams. One could say that it's the power not to have to take orders from those one despises.<br />
<br />
*I formally acknowledge that terrorists have abducted his majesty, the Kaiser Erwin Josef. The whereabouts of his majesty, as well as of the lawless criminals who abducted him have both become clear. This band of criminals are former high nobles led by a former Imperial High Commissioner to Fezzan, Jochen von Remscheid, a Count under the old system. These villains, hiding among the rebels who call themselves the Free Planets Alliance, have illegally announced the establishment of a government-in-exile. I hereby declare: having abducted the Kaiser by illegal and cowardly means, the remnants of the high nobility who plan to reverse the flow of history and steal by force the rights that the people have established will receive a suitable repayment for this atrocity. The ambitious men of the Free Planets Alliance who had illicit dealings with them, and who also plot a rebellious war against the peace and harmony of space, will meet the same fate. Their mistaken choice must be met with an appropriate punishment. What criminals need is neither diplomacy nor persuasion, they have neither the ability nor the intention to understand either. Only force will enlighten their foolishness. Hereafter, no matter how great the volume of blood that comes to be shed, bear in mind these foolish criminals and conspirators and know that they are responsible.<br />
<br />
*But even if my sister hates me, I can't turn back. If I retreat now from the road to leadership, who will restore the universe to unity and harmony? Shall I entrust the future of humanity to the high noble prodigals who care only about their own lineage? Or to demagogues who just move armies guided by sophistry and profit?<br />
<br />
*What do they think people are? Assuming it's a matter of course to rule over them. Stealing from people and insulting people... yet they say it's their privilege to be forgiven?! Those people are corrupt! This empire is corrupt!<br />
<br />
*I don't think I can forgive Rudolf and what he did, becoming Kaiser. He set up the people who flattered him as nobles, and the result of that is this disgrace. Haven't you had thoughts like this, Kircheis? The Goldenbaum dynasty, as with the birth of the human race, need not have happened. It's only been 500 years since Rudolf built it. Before that, neither the Empire nor the Goldenbaum family existed, and he was no more than one citizen. Originally, Rudolf was no more than an upstart man of ambition, and who, riding the current of the times, was made into a sacred, inviolable Kaiser.<br />
<br />
*Kircheis, do you think what was possible for Rudolf is impossible for me?<br />
<br />
===Background information===<br />
*The name [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinhard Reinhard] is of old Nordic origin and means ''pure and sturdy''. In German, it roughly translates into ''determined''. Both attributes denoting to Reinhard's character as well as his ulterior motives and goals. Lohengramm is quite likely a mistranslation/misspelling of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lohengrin Lohengrin], the opera of Richard Wagner about the grail-knight of the same name.<br />
<br />
* Reinhard strongly resembles Napoleon Bonaparte. Both men started off as minor nobility. Both gained power and prominence through military accomplishment. Both became emperors and established an enlightened monarchy and Reinhard's combination of High Admirals and Fleet Admirals mirror's Napoleon's Marshals. One of Napoleon's most notable marshals, Jean Lannes, strongly resembles Siegfried Kircheis in both relationship and deeds.<br />
<br />
*Many of Reinhard's achievements and characteristics mirror those of Alexander the Great. Both men were military geniuses who ascended to power at a very young age. Both men conquered most of their respective known universes. Both men were responsible for sweeping social and political reforms that would impact all of human history to follow, and both men died at a young age shortly after their wars had ended. Reinhard's very close friendship with also Siegfried Kircheis parallels Alexander's relationship with his friend and general, Hephaestion.<br />
<br />
*Reinhard's life is also similar to that of Julius Caesar. Like Caesar, Reinhard's power stemmed not just from the military, but from the common people. Like Caesar, Reinhard was very popular with the lowest-classes of citizenry and feared by the ruling nobility. Like Caesar, Reinhard seized power through ostensibly legitimate means and stripped the ruling elite of their power, money, and influence. The scene of fleets loyal to Reinhard descending over Odin — of warships appearing over sacrosanct skies — also mirrors that of the 13th Legion crossing the Rubicon into Rome.<br />
<br />
*Reinhard also bears many similarities to Rome's first Emperor, Augustus. Like Augustus, Reinhard enacted many reforms that completely changed the social, political, legal and educational landscape of the Empire, and like Augustus, Reinhard focused on crafting a system of Empire that could survive in spite of, or despite, whomever might become Emperor after his death.<br />
<br />
*Some aspects of his career resemble Yamagata Aritomo. Aritomo grew up as the lowest form of nobility (samurai), joined the military, gained high military and nobility ranks through merit and eventually became the de facto dictator of Japan through it. His power base also mainly consisted of military people.<br />
<br />
*Reinhard is also somewhat similar to the French royalist leader [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Cathelineau Jacques Cathelineau], in terms of both physical appearance and traits. <br />
<br />
*Though its exact symptoms were never explicitly stated, the disease that ended Reinhard's life bore the name "Emperor's Sickness," a term that has been used commonly to refer to Hemophilia and Porphyria, as illnesses infamous for afflicting regal heads-of-state.<br />
<br />
*Reinhard's voice actor, [[Horikawa Ryō]], is also notable for his other big anime role: Vegeta, in the mega-hit anime Dragonball Z, its sequel Dragonball GT, and the many affiliated OVAs and movies.<br />
<br />
{{navbox/officials/Goldenlöwe}}<br />
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<br />
[[Category:Soldiers|Lohengramm reinhard von]]<br />
[[Category:Imperial citizens|Lohengramm reinhard von]]<br />
[[Category:Nobility|Lohengramm reinhard von]]<br />
[[Category:Characters from Overture to a New War|Lohengramm reinhard von]]</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/DrewentzDrewentz2023-02-04T05:59:00Z<p>WalkerEmp: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{cleanup}}<br />
{{infobox/character<br />
| image-top = Drewentz (DVD-CA).jpg<br />
| caption-top = Lieutenant Commander '''Drewentz''' ({{d|798|uc}})<br />
| gender = Male<br />
| affiliation = [[Galactic Empire]]<br />
| rank = {{rank|imperial|lieutenant commander}}<br />
| flagship = <br />
| status = <br />
| died = <br />
| actor = [[Machi Yūji]]<br />
}}<br />
'''Drewentz''' (Japanese: '''ドレウェンツ''') was an [[Galactic Empire|Imperial]] {{rank|imperial|lieutenant commander|lc}} who served under [[Neidhart Müller]].<br />
<br />
==Appendices==<br />
===Appearances===<br />
<div class="appear"><br />
*{{logh}}<br />
**{{e|034}}<br />
**{{e|044}}<br />
**{{e|052}}<br />
**{{e|067}}<br />
**{{e|087}}<br />
</div><br />
<br />
===Name variations===<br />
*'''Drewentz''' (<abbr title="LaserDisc">LD</abbr><span class="lr-1px">/</span><abbr title="Digital Versatile Disc">DVD</abbr> subtitles)<br />
*'''ドレウェンツ''' (<abbr title="LaserDisc">LD</abbr><span class="lr-1px">/</span><abbr title="Digital Versatile Disc">DVD</abbr> subtitles — Japanese)<br />
<br />
{{navbox/soldiers/Empire|collapsed}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Soldiers]]<br />
[[Category:Imperial citizens]]</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/OrlauOrlau2023-01-15T12:22:03Z<p>WalkerEmp: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{cleanup}}<br />
{{infobox/character<br />
| image-top = Orlau (DVD-CA).jpg<br />
| caption-top = Commodore '''Orlau''' ({{d|798|uc}})<br />
| gender = Male<br />
| affiliation = [[Galactic Empire]]<br />
| rank = {{rank|imperial|rear admiral}}<br />
| flagship = <br />
| status = <br />
| died = <br />
| actor = [[Kaji Tetsuya]]<br />
}}<br />
'''Orlau''' (Japanese: '''オルラウ''') was an [[Galactic Empire|Imperial]] {{rank|imperial|rear admiral|lc}} who served under [[Neidhart Müller]].<br />
<br />
==Appendices==<br />
===Appearances===<br />
<div class="appear"><br />
*{{logh}}<br />
**{{e|034}}<br />
**{{e|044}}<br />
**{{e|052}}<br />
**{{e|071}}<br />
**{{e|076}}<br />
**{{e|084}}<br />
</div><br />
<br />
===Name variations===<br />
*'''Orlau''' (<abbr title="Digital Versatile Disc">DVD</abbr> subtitles)<br />
*'''Olrau''' (<abbr title="LaserDisc">LD</abbr> subtitles)<br />
*'''オルラウ''' (<abbr title="LaserDisc">LD</abbr><span class="lr-1px">/</span><abbr title="Digital Versatile Disc">DVD</abbr> subtitles — Japanese)<br />
<br />
{{navbox/soldiers/Empire|collapsed}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Soldiers]]<br />
[[Category:Imperial citizens]]</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/OrlauOrlau2023-01-14T16:21:22Z<p>WalkerEmp: /* Appearances */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{cleanup}}<br />
{{infobox/character<br />
| image-top = Orlau (DVD-CA).jpg<br />
| caption-top = Commodore '''Orlau''' ({{d|798|uc}})<br />
| gender = Male<br />
| affiliation = [[Galactic Empire]]<br />
| rank = {{rank|imperial|rear admiral}}<br />
| flagship = <br />
| status = <br />
| died = <br />
| actor = [[Kaji Tetsuya]]<br />
}}<br />
'''Orlau''' (Japanese: '''オルラウ''') was an [[Galactic Empire|Imperial]] {{rank|imperial|rear admiral|lc}} who served under [[Neidhart Müller]].<br />
<br />
==Appendices==<br />
===Appearances===<br />
<div class="appear"><br />
*{{logh}}<br />
**{{e|034}}<br />
**{{e|044}}<br />
**{{e|071}}<br />
**{{e|076}}<br />
**{{e|084}}<br />
</div><br />
<br />
===Name variations===<br />
*'''Orlau''' (<abbr title="Digital Versatile Disc">DVD</abbr> subtitles)<br />
*'''Olrau''' (<abbr title="LaserDisc">LD</abbr> subtitles)<br />
*'''オルラウ''' (<abbr title="LaserDisc">LD</abbr><span class="lr-1px">/</span><abbr title="Digital Versatile Disc">DVD</abbr> subtitles — Japanese)<br />
<br />
{{navbox/soldiers/Empire|collapsed}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Soldiers]]<br />
[[Category:Imperial citizens]]</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Willibald_Joachim_von_MerkatzWillibald Joachim von Merkatz2022-11-30T03:59:14Z<p>WalkerEmp: /* In the name of the Kaiser */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{infobox/character<br />
| image-top = Merkatz (BD).jpg<br />
| caption-top = High Admiral '''Merkatz''' ({{d|799|uc}})<br />
| gender = Male<br />
| affiliation = [[Iserlohn Republic]]<br>[[El Facil Revolutionary Government]] (former)<br>[[Free Planets Alliance]]/[[Galactic Empire Legitimate Government|Imperial Legitimate Government]] (former)<br>[[Galactic Empire]] (former)<br />
| rank = [[Military ranks of the Galactic Empire#High_Admiral|High Admiral]]<br>Fleet Admiral (appointed by legitimate government)<br />
| flagship = ''[[Hyperion]]''<br />''[[Nördlingen]]'' (former)<br />
| occupation = Legitimate government war minister (former)<br />
| status = Deceased (killed in action)<br />
| born = {{d|738|uc}}<br />
| died = {{d|801|uc}}<br />
| actor = [[Naya Gorō]] (deceased)<br />
}}<br />
'''Willibald Joachim von Merkatz''' (Japanese: '''ウィリバルト・ヨアヒム・フォン・メルカッツ''') was a distinguished [[Galactic Empire|Imperial]] {{rank|imperial|high admiral|lc}} who defected to the [[Free Planets Alliance|Alliance]] after being defeated in a [[Imperial Civil War|civil war]] and went on to serve both [[Yang Wen-li]] as well as the [[Galactic Empire Legitimate Government|Imperial exiled government]]. A veteran of countless battles, he was noted for his penchant of using massed small craft such as Imperial [[Gunship|gunships]] or later Alliance [[Spartanians]] in direct strikes against enemy warships. {{rank|imperial|Fleet Admiral}} [[Oskar von Reuenthal]] regarded him as one of the greatest tacticians of their era, the others being himself, Yang, [[Reinhard von Lohengramm|Reinhard]], and [[Wolfgang Mittermeyer]].<br />
<br />
Merkatz was killed in action during the [[Battle of Shiva]] in {{d|801|uc}}, aged 63. His faithful adjutant who had served him for at least about five years, {{rank|imperial|commander}} [[Bernhard von Schneider]], performed his final duty to the admiral by returning Merkatz's remains to his family in the Empire.<br />
<br />
==Late Goldenbaum Dynasty==<br />
[[File:Merkatz 3.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Merkatz along with his adjutant at Astarte ({{d|796|uc}})]]<br />
Not much is known about Merkatz's early career besides the fact that he was a flag officer since at least {{d|791|uc}}, and that he had become a famous soldier before [[Reinhard von Lohengramm|Reinhard]] was born, according to [[Paul von Oberstein]]. He was also regarded as popular and respected among lower ranking Imperial ratings and junior officers, with his reputation as a military commander being even known in the Alliance. One of his known actions was as a full {{rank|imperial|admiral|lc}} during the [[Sixth Battle of Iserlohn]] in {{d|794|uc}}, where he was the only elderly commander who fought in the fleet battle outside of [[Iserlohn Fortress]] and commanded the main Imperial fleet. ({{mut|04}}, {{hbshbl|12}}, {{logh|022|024}})<br />
<br />
Admiral Merkatz was one of five fleet commanders assigned to [[Reinhard von Lohengramm]] to replace his loyal subordinates prior to the start of the operation that would become the [[Battle of Astarte]]. While the others were vice admirals and rear admirals, Merkatz was a full admiral. He and the other officers were considered to be "problematic" by the Imperial naval command and that was the main reason for their assignment to Reinhard in the place of his regular staff, as this operation was not expected to succeed. It was noted by [[Oskar von Reuenthal]] at the time that Merkatz was recognized as a skilled commander but lacked adaptability and that prevented him from being promoted to {{rank|imperial|Fleet Admiral}}. However, during the battle Merkatz fought well against both the [[Free Planets Alliance|Alliance]] [[4th Fleet]] and [[6th Fleet]]. After Reinhard's operational plan turned out to be a success, much to everyone's surprise, Merkatz came to acknowledge the younger admiral's genius and his skepticism of Reinhard changed into respect. It was an attitude that stood in stark contrast to the continued contempt that the rest of the Imperial upper strata possessed toward Reinhard. ({{onw}}, {{logh|001|002}})<br />
<br />
==The Lippstadt Rebellion==<br />
[[File:Merkatz with Braunschweig.png|thumb|200px|Merkatz receiving praise from Braunschweig following his victory at Schann-tau ({{d|797|uc}})]]<br />
During the attempted Alliance invasion of the Empire in the late summer and fall of {{d|796|uc}}, Merkatz was not involved as Count Lohengramm and his subordinates were given the task of defending Imperial territory. However, when Emperor [[Friedrich IV]] suddenly died shortly after the rout of the Alliance forces in October, a power struggle broke out within the Empire. The highborn aristocrats representing the Goldenbaum Dynasty's traditions and power were pitted against the ambitious reformist upstarts under Reinhard von Lohengramm, along with his ally of convenience, Minister of State [[Klaus von Lichtenlade]]. The Lohengramm–Lichtenlade axis placed the very young and impressionable [[Erwin Josef II]] on the throne, with the nobles seeing this as an assault against their influence. Although Merkatz initially wanted to remain neutral because he saw no reason to harm the troops with infighting, Duke [[Otto von Braunschweig]] threatened the old admiral into going along with the high nobles. ({{logh|013|016|018}})<br />
<br />
Duke Braunschweig did naturally appoint {{rank|imperial|High Admiral}} Merkatz the commander-in-chief of the [[Lippstadt League|Lippstadt Allied Forces]] upon the outbreak of the civil war, as the confederated aristocrats' combined military came to be known. Using [[Geiersburg Fortress]] as their base of operations, Merkatz proposed that they allow Reinhard's forces to come to them so the Lippstadt fleet could attack them when they stretched out their supply lines and were far from [[Odin]]. However, a proposal by Admiral [[Staden]] to attack Odin while Reinhard was away was also accepted much to Merkatz's chagrin, though Staden's force ended up being routed. Merkatz later scored the Lippstadt League's only victory over the enemy in the war, the [[Battle of Schann-tau]], but it was strategically insignificant. He was also outraged to find upon his return that Marquis [[Wilhelm von Littenheim]] ventured out to fight against Admiral [[Siegfried Kircheis]] without consulting Merkatz, since Braunschweig allowed it to happen because he did not want his rival Littenheim around, ignoring Merkatz's authority as supreme commander. Littenheim ended up being defeated and killed while losing [[Littenheim Fleet|a third]] of their fleet in the process. ({{logh|020|022}})<br />
<br />
As a result, the [[Lohengramm Fleet]] ended up surrounding the nobles at Geiersburg. The final straw for Merkatz was when some young nobles ignored his orders and decided to go out to fight the enemy instead of waiting them out. Also, by then the high aristocrats' view of the ageing admiral had greatly changed, from one of respect and admiration for a brilliant tactician to one of hatred and contempt for what they perceived to be cowardice and indecisiveness, as Merkatz had predicted before joining up with them. The nobles fell for Lohengramm's trick to lure them out of the fortress and their fleet was nearly destroyed, only saved by the high admiral sortieing out and saving them from total annihilation. ({{logh|022}})<br />
<br />
In his outrage at the murder of his nephew Baron [[Scheidt]], Braunschweig ordered a nuclear attack on the planet [[Westerland]] despite it being considered a taboo to use nuclear weapons during that age, ignoring the advice of others against it. This attack recorded and broadcast across the Empire, serving to demoralize the Lippstadt troops and to shatter any lingering sympathies for the nobles among the populace. The situation began to fall apart as mass desertions and suicides began occurring in Geiersburg. Braunschweig and the other nobles ordered a full final assault with what remained of their fleet, which Merkatz joined in, and after they were defeated the old admiral contemplated suicide as he both felt too proud to surrender to Reinhard and due to his oath of loyalty to the Goldenbaum Dynasty. Merkatz was persuaded by his subordinate, [[Bernhard von Schneider]], to seek refuge with [[Yang Wen-li]] instead by defecting to the [[Free Planets Alliance]] in order to fight another day. ({{logh|023}})<br />
<br />
==In the name of the Kaiser==<br />
[[File:Merkatz defection.png|200px|left|thumb|Merkatz arriving at Iserlohn Fortress to defect ({{d|797|uc}})]]<br />
Upon arriving in the Alliance, Merkatz and his adjutant Schneider were welcomed by Yang and his associates, although at first he and his adjutant were treated with suspicion by the rest of his staff. He and Schneider still continued to wear their Imperial uniforms and the old admiral considered himself to be a loyalist of the Goldenbaum Dynasty. Merkatz was given the status of a "guest admiral" while he was part of the [[Iserlohn Garrison Fleet]], roughly equivalent to an Alliance {{rank|fpa|vice admiral|lc}}. In this capacity he mainly served as a tactical advisor and occasionally took command of the fleet, with the first occasion being during the [[Eighth Battle of Iserlohn]]. At the time Admiral Yang had been called for an inquiry on [[Heinessen]] and the Imperial Fleet attacked then with the mobilized [[Geiersburg Fortress]] (much to Merkatz's surprise). The guest admiral used the Alliance fleet to entrap and give heavy losses to Admiral [[Neidhart Müller]]'s fleet. The attack from the Geiersburg force was eventually repulsed and Admiral Yang returned to assist them. ({{logh|027|032|033|034}})<br />
<br />
Not long after the attempted Imperial attack during the spring of {{d|798|uc}}, a scheme organized by the leaders of [[Dominion of Fezzan|Fezzan]] saw the young child emperor [[Erwin Josef II]] kidnapped from [[Neue Sanssouci]] on Fezzan by a couple of former Lippstadt officers and smuggled into the Alliance. Fezzani head of state [[Adrian Rubinsky]] used this as a means of preventing the Empire and Alliance from coming to terms, and Reinhard went along with his plan for his own purposes. Once the young kaiser arrived on [[Heinessen]], the creation of a "[[Galactic Empire Legitimate Government]]" was proclaimed, which consisted mainly of high aristocrats and Lippstadt veterans. Merkatz found this out while viewing the broadcast on Iserlohn along with the rest of the Yang Fleet, and was shocked when he was announced as the government's minister of military affairs. After some deliberation with Schneider and others, Admiral Merkatz decided to accept the Imperial government-in-exile's request and departed for Heinessen. When Merkatz called it the highest honor that someone facing Reinhard von Lohengramm could have, Schneider pointed out that there were no troops for him to command and the position was mostly an empty title. Although the old admiral said he was still loyal to Emperor Erwin Josef, Merkatz believed that the remaining nobles should not have gotten a child involved in war and politics. Merkatz got promoted as Fleet Admiral by the government-in-exile.({{logh|030|036|037|038|039}})<br />
<br />
[[File:Legitimate gov military.png|thumb|200px|The military of the exiled government is inspected by Merkatz ({{d|799|uc}})]]<br />
With the beginning of [[Operation Ragnarök]], the Empire's invasion of the Alliance using the [[Fezzan Corridor]], Merkatz left Heinessen and took part in the major actions that the [[Yang Fleet]] carried out after the main [[Free Planets Star Fleet]] was defeated at [[Battle of Rantemario|Rantemario]]. His involvement with the Imperial government-in-exile was largely unknown, although he attended cabinet meetings and ended up being one of its last members to not abandon its premier, Count [[Jochen von Remscheid]], as the Imperial invasion began. It's "military" consisted of less than ten people in total and decided to join Merkatz with the Yang Fleet. After taking part in various engagements with Imperial admirals, Merkatz and the rest took part in the [[Battle of Vermilion]] against Reinhard von Lohengramm's main fleet in a decisive battle. They ended up being tactically victorious but were prevented from obtaining victory by an order from the Alliance government on Heinessen telling them to stand down and asking for a ceasefire with the Imperial Fleet. A part of the Imperial force had taken control of Heinessen during the battle and thus ended the war, as Yang decided to follow the government's order. Admiral Yang assumed that most of the Alliance Navy would be dismantled as part of any peace treaty, so he sent a small group to lead a resistance movement that could provide a potential force to resist the Empire in the future. Since Merkatz was wanted by the Empire he asked the old admiral to lead this group, to which he agreed. ({{logh|045|049|050|051|052|053}})<br />
<br />
=="Sherwood"==<br />
As Yang predicted, the Alliance signed the unequal [[Treaty of Ba'alat]] in May {{d|799|uc}} which essentially turned it into a client state of the [[New Galactic Empire]] of the newly ascended Kaiser Reinhard, and began dismantling many of its warships. The remaining Imperial legitimate government had been dissolved and its members taken into custody, though the young emperor disappeared. Merkatz and a small force of sixty ships, meanwhile, had arrived at the abandoned [[Dayan Khan]] supply base in an asteroid, where they began planning their next move. This force also included a small number of Alliance military personnel that were officially listed as killed in action. Yang the others referred to Merkatz's group as "Sherwood," intending for it to preserve a part of the Alliance Fleet in order to lead a resistance in the future. They understood that they needed to expand their fleet, however, and Yang passed along information to Merkatz that the Alliance would be dismantling several thousand warships. Merkatz's group managed to capture many of the decommissioned [[battleship]]s and [[carrier]]s, while many crewmen defected to join their resistance group. However, the incident added credibility to rumors that had been circulating in the months following the end of the [[Alliance–Imperial War]], that the old Imperial admiral was still alive and now that he was the one responsible for having carried out the hijacking of ships. The Imperials placed Yang and his former subordinates under surveillance. ({{logh|053|055|058|060}})<br />
<br />
A series of events on Heinessen in the summer of 799 led to the arrest of Yang by the Alliance government and the death of Imperial high commissioner [[Helmut Lennenkampf]], which forced Yang and his subordinates to escape from the planet. They then headed to Merkatz's base of operations. The former Imperial high admiral, meanwhile, tried to ascertain the location of the abdicated Emperor Erwin Josef II. By that point of time, Merkatz no longer wished for the restoration of the Goldenbaum Dynasty, but he still felt a responsibility towards the well-being of the abdicated emperor. There were no reports on his whereabouts since his disappearance from Heinessen at the end of the war against the Empire, but Merkatz stated that one of his final goals in life was to locate him. After Yang Wen-li and his subordinates arrived at Dayan Khan, Merkatz helped them plot their next move as Kaiser Reinhard used the death of the high commissioner to justify a [[Second Alliance–Imperial War|complete annexation]] of the Alliance. ({{logh|060|061|062|064|067}})<br />
<br />
==El Facil and Iserlohn==<br />
[[File:Merkatz Schneider observing evacuation.jpg|200px|left|thumb|Merkatz and Schneider observing Imperial survivors evacuating from Iserlohn ({{d|800|uc}})]]<br />
Finally, in December {{d|799|uc}}, Yang made up his mind to go to [[El Facil]], which had [[El Facil Revolutionary Government|proclaimed its independence]] from both the Alliance and the Empire. As the Alliance government prepared to fight the Empire, Yang's former colleagues sent ships, personnel and supplies to join him at El Facil. High Admiral Merkatz became the chief of staff of the new "El Facil Revolutionary Reserve Force," which consisted of the former Yang Fleet and various Alliance ships that had come to join them. Yang made up his mind to retake [[Iserlohn Fortress]] but since the El Facil government wanted him to remain on the planet, he sent Merkatz as the commander of the assault force in his place. ({{logh|065|068|069}})<br />
<br />
Merkatz led the El Facil force in retaking Iserlohn by tricking the [[Lutz Fleet]] to leave the fortress and then using a previously established code, left by Yang when he abandoned Iserlohn, to shut down its computers. Thus the fleet was able to enter the fortress while Admiral [[Cornelius Lutz]]'s main force was away without the threat of them using the [[Thor Hammer]]. Their ground troops, led by the [[Rosen Ritter]] regiment, secured the interior of the fortress and fired upon the returning Lutz Fleet, forcing it to retreat. Thus Iserlohn Fortress became the main headquarters of their group. ({{logh|070}})<br />
<br />
It was not long before Kaiser Reinhard decided to go on the offensive and besieged Iserlohn, taking over El Facil. Merkatz helped in the preparations in the assault and took field command during the initial stages of the [[Battle of the Corridor]], when the [[Fahrenheit Fleet]] and the [[Black Lancers]] were lured in and defeated by the El Facil Revolutionary Reserve Force. The old admiral remembered Fahrenheit back from his days in the Imperial Navy, having fought alongside him at the Battle of Astarte and during the Imperial Civil War, and spent some time mourning after hearing of his old colleague's death. The next part of the battle saw the Yang Fleet triumph over the numerically superior Imperial forces, although largely thanks to the fact that Kaiser Reinhard fell ill and decided to come to terms with the El Facil government (or more specifically, with Yang personally). However, Yang was assassinated on the way there by members of the [[Terraism|Church of Terra]]. ({{logh|076|078|079|080|081|082}})<br />
<br />
Although many personnel left Iserlohn Fortress after the catastrophic loss of Admiral Yang, Merkatz was among those that stayed on and continued to work with the new leader, [[Julian Mintz]], Yang's adopted son. He advised the young commander on the intentions of Fleet Admiral [[Oskar von Reuenthal]] during his [[Reuenthal Rebellion|uprising]] against Kaiser Reinhard, believing that Reuenthal's rebellion might have had a chance of success if it was able to avoid a two-front war and waited for the Imperial Fleet's supply lines to become too long. ({{logh|084|092|095}})<br />
<br />
Merkatz again took field command during the [[Battle of Shiva]] in {{d|801|uc}}. The fleet actions led by Merkatz allowed a boarding ship to latch onto the Imperial supreme flagship, carrying the Rosen Ritter unit and some others, who fought their way to see the Kaiser. Merkatz himself was killed when he was injured in an explosion when the ''[[Hyperion]]'' came under fire from the [[Eisenach Fleet]]. Possessing more military experience than both Reinhard and Yang, he died at the age of 63, and his adjutant Commander Schneider performed his last duty to his superior by returning Merkatz's remains to his family back in the Empire. ({{logh|101|102|107|108|109}})<br />
<br />
==Legacy==<br />
[[File:Merkatz 1.jpg|200px|thumb|Admiral Merkatz ({{d|796|uc}})]]<br />
Merkatz was the classic career soldier and possibly one of the final supporters of the [[Goldenbaum Dynasty]] even though he knew there was no realistic chance of its revival. He knew that the old nobility as represented by the Lippstadt League had been corrupt and incompetent, and that life for the people of the Empire had improved with Lohengramm's reforms. Nonetheless, he could not bring himself to serve under Duke Lohengramm partly out of pride and partly out of feeling this would violate his oath of loyalty to the Goldenbaum Dynasty. Although he subsequently fought against the Galactic Empire and then the New Galactic Empire, he remained essentially apolitical and focused purely on military matters.<br />
<br />
==Appendices==<br />
===Appearances===<br />
<div class="appear"><br />
*{{logh}}<br />
**{{e|001}} (first appearance)<br />
**{{e|002}}<br />
**{{e|004}}<br />
**{{e|018}}<br />
**{{e|020}}<br />
**{{e|022}}<br />
**{{e|023}}<br />
**{{e|024}}<br />
**{{e|027}}<br />
**{{e|032}}<br />
**{{e|033}}<br />
**{{e|034}}<br />
**{{e|035}}<br />
**{{e|038}}<br />
**{{e|039}}<br />
**{{e|045}}<br />
**{{e|049}}<br />
**{{e|050}} <br />
**{{e|051}}<br />
**{{e|052}}<br />
**{{e|053}}<br />
**{{e|055}}<br />
**{{e|060}}<br />
**{{e|064}}<br />
**{{e|070}}<br />
**{{e|076}}<br />
**{{e|077}}<br />
**{{e|078}}<br />
**{{e|079}}<br />
**{{e|080}}<br />
**{{e|081}}<br />
**{{e|084}}<br />
**{{e|092}}<br />
**{{e|095}}<br />
**{{e|099}}<br />
**{{e|101}}<br />
**{{e|102}}<br />
**{{e|107}}<br />
**{{e|108}} (death)<br />
*{{onw}}<br />
</div><br />
<br />
===Memorable quotes===<br />
*"I have served the Goldenbaum Dynasty as a soldier for over forty years. If it is to be destroyed, then my final duty is to share in its fate. Even then, I am only a worthless old man." <br />
<br />
*"Don't be so mad. Duke Braunschweig is an ill man. Mentally. It's an illness bred from the five hundred year tradition of privilege for the nobility." <br />
<br />
*"My loyalty to His Majesty the Kaiser is no less than the Count's."<br />
<br />
*"What's hard for me to understand is that the people who should be protecting the young Kaiser are conversely pushing His Majesty into a vortex of political struggles and war."<br />
<br />
*"Privilege corrupts a man's soul. You instinctively justify yourself while blaming others."<br />
<br />
===Background information===<br />
[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willibald_(name) Willibald] is a rare and old German given name of Saxon origin which roughly means ''force equipped with bold decision''. [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merkatz_(Adelsgeschlecht) Merkatz] is the name of two 18th century Prussian noble families. It is also a shorter form for the meerkatze, the long-tailed monkey, or guenon.<br />
<br />
===Apocrypha===<br />
====Stage====<br />
[[File:Merkatz_on_stage.jpg|thumb|left|190px|Played by [[James Onoda]]]]<br />
Merkatz is played by [[James Onoda]] in the 2011 [[Legend of Galactic Heroes on stage|stage adaptation]] of LOGH.<br />
<br />
{{navbox/soldiers/Alliance|collapsed}}<br />
{{navbox/soldiers/Empire|collapsed}}<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Alliance citizens|Merkatz willibald joachim von]]<br />
[[Category:Soldiers|Merkatz willibald joachim von]]<br />
[[Category:Iserlohn Republic citizens|Merkatz willibald joachim von]]<br />
[[Category:Imperial citizens|Merkatz willibald joachim von]]<br />
[[Category:Nobility|Merkatz willibald joachim von]]<br />
[[Category:Characters from Overture to a New War|Merkatz willibald joachim von]]</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Lionel_MortonLionel Morton2022-10-23T07:18:17Z<p>WalkerEmp: /* Appearances */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{cleanup}}<br />
{{infobox/character<br />
| image-top = Morton.jpg<br />
| caption-top = Vice Admiral '''Morton''' ({{d|799|uc}})<br />
| gender = Male<br />
| affiliation = [[Free Planets Alliance]]<br />
| rank = {{rank|fpa|vice admiral|sc}}<br />
| flagship = ''[[Achilleus]]''<br />
| occupation = [[14th Fleet]] commander<br />
| status = Deceased (killed in action)<br />
| died = {{d|799|uc}}<br />
| actor =<br />
}}<br />
'''Lionel Morton''' (Japanese: '''ライオネル・モートン''') was an [[Free Planets Alliance|Alliance]] {{rank|fpa|vice admiral|lc}} and commander of the [[14th Fleet]].<br />
<br />
He was killed at the [[Battle of Vermilion]]. ({{logh|052}})<br />
<br />
==Appendices==<br />
===Appearances===<br />
<div class="appear"><br />
*{{logh}}<br />
**{{e|034}}<br />
**{{e|045}}<br />
**{{e|047}}<br />
**{{e|049}}<br />
**{{e|052}} (death)<br />
</div><br />
<br />
===Name variations===<br />
*'''Lionel Morton''' (<abbr title="Digital Versatile Disc">DVD</abbr> subtitles)<br />
*'''Lionel Mouton''' (<abbr title="LaserDisc">LD</abbr> subtitles)<br />
*'''ライオネル・モートン''' (<abbr title="LaserDisc">LD</abbr><span class="lr-1px">/</span><abbr title="Digital Versatile Disc">DVD</abbr> subtitles — Japanese)<br />
<br />
{{navbox/soldiers/Alliance|collapsed}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Alliance citizens|Morton lionel]]<br />
[[Category:Soldiers|Morton lionel]]</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Willibald_Joachim_von_MerkatzWillibald Joachim von Merkatz2022-10-11T06:41:16Z<p>WalkerEmp: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{infobox/character<br />
| image-top = Merkatz (BD).jpg<br />
| caption-top = High Admiral '''Merkatz''' ({{d|799|uc}})<br />
| gender = Male<br />
| affiliation = [[Iserlohn Republic]]<br>[[El Facil Revolutionary Government]] (former)<br>[[Free Planets Alliance]]/[[Galactic Empire Legitimate Government|Imperial Legitimate Government]] (former)<br>[[Galactic Empire]] (former)<br />
| rank = [[Military ranks of the Galactic Empire#High_Admiral|High Admiral]]<br>Fleet Admiral (appointed by legitimate government)<br />
| flagship = ''[[Hyperion]]''<br />''[[Nördlingen]]'' (former)<br />
| occupation = Legitimate government war minister (former)<br />
| status = Deceased (killed in action)<br />
| born = {{d|738|uc}}<br />
| died = {{d|801|uc}}<br />
| actor = [[Naya Gorō]] (deceased)<br />
}}<br />
'''Willibald Joachim von Merkatz''' (Japanese: '''ウィリバルト・ヨアヒム・フォン・メルカッツ''') was a distinguished [[Galactic Empire|Imperial]] {{rank|imperial|high admiral|lc}} who defected to the [[Free Planets Alliance|Alliance]] after being defeated in a [[Imperial Civil War|civil war]] and went on to serve both [[Yang Wen-li]] as well as the [[Galactic Empire Legitimate Government|Imperial exiled government]]. A veteran of countless battles, he was noted for his penchant of using massed small craft such as Imperial [[Gunship|gunships]] or later Alliance [[Spartanians]] in direct strikes against enemy warships. {{rank|imperial|Fleet Admiral}} [[Oskar von Reuenthal]] regarded him as one of the greatest tacticians of their era, the others being himself, Yang, [[Reinhard von Lohengramm|Reinhard]], and [[Wolfgang Mittermeyer]].<br />
<br />
Merkatz was killed in action during the [[Battle of Shiva]] in {{d|801|uc}}, aged 63. His faithful adjutant who had served him for at least about five years, {{rank|imperial|commander}} [[Bernhard von Schneider]], performed his final duty to the admiral by returning Merkatz's remains to his family in the Empire.<br />
<br />
==Late Goldenbaum Dynasty==<br />
[[File:Merkatz 3.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Merkatz along with his adjutant at Astarte ({{d|796|uc}})]]<br />
Not much is known about Merkatz's early career besides the fact that he was a flag officer since at least {{d|791|uc}}, and that he had become a famous soldier before [[Reinhard von Lohengramm|Reinhard]] was born, according to [[Paul von Oberstein]]. He was also regarded as popular and respected among lower ranking Imperial ratings and junior officers, with his reputation as a military commander being even known in the Alliance. One of his known actions was as a full {{rank|imperial|admiral|lc}} during the [[Sixth Battle of Iserlohn]] in {{d|794|uc}}, where he was the only elderly commander who fought in the fleet battle outside of [[Iserlohn Fortress]] and commanded the main Imperial fleet. ({{mut|04}}, {{hbshbl|12}}, {{logh|022|024}})<br />
<br />
Admiral Merkatz was one of five fleet commanders assigned to [[Reinhard von Lohengramm]] to replace his loyal subordinates prior to the start of the operation that would become the [[Battle of Astarte]]. While the others were vice admirals and rear admirals, Merkatz was a full admiral. He and the other officers were considered to be "problematic" by the Imperial naval command and that was the main reason for their assignment to Reinhard in the place of his regular staff, as this operation was not expected to succeed. It was noted by [[Oskar von Reuenthal]] at the time that Merkatz was recognized as a skilled commander but lacked adaptability and that prevented him from being promoted to {{rank|imperial|Fleet Admiral}}. However, during the battle Merkatz fought well against both the [[Free Planets Alliance|Alliance]] [[4th Fleet]] and [[6th Fleet]]. After Reinhard's operational plan turned out to be a success, much to everyone's surprise, Merkatz came to acknowledge the younger admiral's genius and his skepticism of Reinhard changed into respect. It was an attitude that stood in stark contrast to the continued contempt that the rest of the Imperial upper strata possessed toward the blond admiral. ({{onw}}, {{logh|001|002}})<br />
<br />
==The Lippstadt Rebellion==<br />
[[File:Merkatz with Braunschweig.png|thumb|200px|Merkatz receiving praise from Braunschweig following his victory at Schann-tau ({{d|797|uc}})]]<br />
During the attempted Alliance invasion of the Empire in the late summer and fall of {{d|796|uc}}, Merkatz was not involved as Count Lohengramm and his subordinates were given the task of defending Imperial territory. However, when Emperor [[Friedrich IV]] suddenly died shortly after the rout of the Alliance forces in October, a power struggle broke out within the Empire. The highborn aristocrats representing the Goldenbaum Dynasty's traditions and power were pitted against the ambitious reformist upstarts under Reinhard von Lohengramm, along with his ally of convenience, Minister of State [[Klaus von Lichtenlade]]. The Lohengramm–Lichtenlade axis placed the very young and impressionable [[Erwin Josef II]] on the throne, with the nobles seeing this as an assault against their influence. Although Merkatz initially wanted to remain neutral because he saw no reason to harm the troops with infighting, Duke [[Otto von Braunschweig]] threatened the old admiral into going along with the high nobles. ({{logh|013|016|018}})<br />
<br />
Duke Braunschweig did naturally appoint {{rank|imperial|High Admiral}} Merkatz the commander-in-chief of the [[Lippstadt League|Lippstadt Allied Forces]] upon the outbreak of the civil war, as the confederated aristocrats' combined military came to be known. Using [[Geiersburg Fortress]] as their base of operations, Merkatz proposed that they allow Reinhard's forces to come to them so the Lippstadt fleet could attack them when they stretched out their supply lines and were far from [[Odin]]. However, a proposal by Admiral [[Staden]] to attack Odin while Reinhard was away was also accepted much to Merkatz's chagrin, though Staden's force ended up being routed. Merkatz later scored the Lippstadt League's only victory over the enemy in the war, the [[Battle of Schann-tau]], but it was strategically insignificant. He was also outraged to find upon his return that Marquis [[Wilhelm von Littenheim]] ventured out to fight against Admiral [[Siegfried Kircheis]] without consulting Merkatz, since Braunschweig allowed it to happen because he did not want his rival Littenheim around, ignoring Merkatz's authority as supreme commander. Littenheim ended up being defeated and killed while losing [[Littenheim Fleet|a third]] of their fleet in the process. ({{logh|020|022}})<br />
<br />
As a result, the [[Lohengramm Fleet]] ended up surrounding the nobles at Geiersburg. The final straw for Merkatz was when some young nobles ignored his orders and decided to go out to fight the enemy instead of waiting them out. Also, by then the high aristocrats' view of the ageing admiral had greatly changed, from one of respect and admiration for a brilliant tactician to one of hatred and contempt for what they perceived to be cowardice and indecisiveness, as Merkatz had predicted before joining up with them. The nobles fell for Lohengramm's trick to lure them out of the fortress and their fleet was nearly destroyed, only saved by the high admiral sortieing out and saving them from total annihilation. ({{logh|022}})<br />
<br />
In his outrage at the murder of his nephew Baron [[Scheidt]], Braunschweig ordered a nuclear attack on the planet [[Westerland]] despite it being considered a taboo to use nuclear weapons during that age, ignoring the advice of others against it. This attack recorded and broadcast across the Empire, serving to demoralize the Lippstadt troops and to shatter any lingering sympathies for the nobles among the populace. The situation began to fall apart as mass desertions and suicides began occurring in Geiersburg. Braunschweig and the other nobles ordered a full final assault with what remained of their fleet, which Merkatz joined in, and after they were defeated the old admiral contemplated suicide as he both felt too proud to surrender to Reinhard and due to his oath of loyalty to the Goldenbaum Dynasty. Merkatz was persuaded by his subordinate, [[Bernhard von Schneider]], to seek refuge with [[Yang Wen-li]] instead by defecting to the [[Free Planets Alliance]] in order to fight another day. ({{logh|023}})<br />
<br />
==In the name of the Kaiser==<br />
[[File:Merkatz defection.png|200px|left|thumb|Merkatz arriving at Iserlohn Fortress to defect ({{d|797|uc}})]]<br />
Upon arriving in the Alliance, Merkatz and his adjutant Schneider were welcomed by Yang and his associates, although at first he and his adjutant were treated with suspicion by the rest of his staff. He and Schneider still continued to wear their Imperial uniforms and the old admiral considered himself to be a loyalist of the Goldenbaum Dynasty. Merkatz was given the status of a "guest admiral" while he was part of the [[Iserlohn Garrison Fleet]], roughly equivalent to an Alliance {{rank|fpa|vice admiral|lc}}. In this capacity he mainly served as a tactical advisor and occasionally took command of the fleet, with the first occasion being during the [[Eighth Battle of Iserlohn]]. At the time Admiral Yang had been called for an inquiry on [[Heinessen]] and the Imperial Fleet attacked then with the mobilized [[Geiersburg Fortress]] (much to Merkatz's surprise). The guest admiral used the Alliance fleet to entrap and give heavy losses to Admiral [[Neidhart Müller]]'s fleet. The attack from the Geiersburg force was eventually repulsed and Admiral Yang returned to assist them. ({{logh|027|032|033|034}})<br />
<br />
Not long after the attempted Imperial attack during the spring of {{d|798|uc}}, a scheme organized by the leaders of [[Dominion of Fezzan|Fezzan]] saw the young child emperor [[Erwin Josef II]] kidnapped from [[Neue Sanssouci]] on Fezzan by a couple of former Lippstadt officers and smuggled into the Alliance. Fezzani head of state [[Adrian Rubinsky]] used this as a means of preventing the Empire and Alliance from coming to terms, and Reinhard went along with his plan for his own purposes. Once the young kaiser arrived on [[Heinessen]], the creation of a "[[Galactic Empire Legitimate Government]]" was proclaimed, which consisted mainly of high aristocrats and Lippstadt veterans. Merkatz found this out while viewing the broadcast on Iserlohn along with the rest of the Yang Fleet, and was shocked when he was announced as the government's minister of military affairs. After some deliberation with Schneider and others, Admiral Merkatz decided to accept the Imperial government-in-exile's request and departed for Heinessen. When Merkatz called it the highest honor that someone facing Reinhard von Lohengramm could have, Schneider pointed out that there were no troops for him to command and the position was mostly an empty title. Although the old admiral said he was still loyal to Emperor Erwin Josef, Merkatz believed that the remaining nobles should not have gotten a child involved in war and politics. ({{logh|030|036|037|038|039}})<br />
<br />
[[File:Legitimate gov military.png|thumb|200px|The military of the exiled government is inspected by Merkatz ({{d|799|uc}})]]<br />
With the beginning of [[Operation Ragnarök]], the Empire's invasion of the Alliance using the [[Fezzan Corridor]], Merkatz left Heinessen and took part in the major actions that the [[Yang Fleet]] carried out after the main [[Free Planets Star Fleet]] was defeated at [[Battle of Rantemario|Rantemario]]. His involvement with the Imperial government-in-exile was largely unknown, although he attended cabinet meetings and ended up being one of its last members to not abandon its premier, Count [[Jochen von Remscheid]], as the Imperial invasion began. It's "military" consisted of less than ten people in total and decided to join Merkatz with the Yang Fleet. After taking part in various engagements with Imperial admirals, Merkatz and the rest took part in the [[Battle of Vermilion]] against Reinhard von Lohengramm's main fleet in a decisive battle. They ended up being tactically victorious but were prevented from obtaining victory by an order from the Alliance government on Heinessen telling them to stand down and asking for a ceasefire with the Imperial Fleet. A part of the Imperial force had taken control of Heinessen during the battle and thus ended the war, as Yang decided to follow the government's order. Admiral Yang assumed that most of the Alliance Navy would be dismantled as part of any peace treaty, so he sent a small group to lead a resistance movement that could provide a potential force to resist the Empire in the future. Since Merkatz was wanted by the Empire he asked the old admiral to lead this group, to which he agreed. ({{logh|045|049|050|051|052|053}})<br />
<br />
=="Sherwood"==<br />
As Yang predicted, the Alliance signed the unequal [[Treaty of Ba'alat]] in May {{d|799|uc}} which essentially turned it into a client state of the [[New Galactic Empire]] of the newly ascended Kaiser Reinhard, and began dismantling many of its warships. The remaining Imperial legitimate government had been dissolved and its members taken into custody, though the young emperor disappeared. Merkatz and a small force of sixty ships, meanwhile, had arrived at the abandoned [[Dayan Khan]] supply base in an asteroid, where they began planning their next move. This force also included a small number of Alliance military personnel that were officially listed as killed in action. Yang the others referred to Merkatz's group as "Sherwood," intending for it to preserve a part of the Alliance Fleet in order to lead a resistance in the future. They understood that they needed to expand their fleet, however, and Yang passed along information to Merkatz that the Alliance would be dismantling several thousand warships. Merkatz's group managed to capture many of the decommissioned [[battleship]]s and [[carrier]]s, while many crewmen defected to join their resistance group. However, the incident added credibility to rumors that had been circulating in the months following the end of the [[Alliance–Imperial War]], that the old Imperial admiral was still alive and now that he was the one responsible for having carried out the hijacking of ships. The Imperials placed Yang and his former subordinates under surveillance. ({{logh|053|055|058|060}})<br />
<br />
A series of events on Heinessen in the summer of 799 led to the arrest of Yang by the Alliance government and the death of Imperial high commissioner [[Helmut Lennenkampf]], which forced Yang and his subordinates to escape from the planet. They then headed to Merkatz's base of operations. The former Imperial high admiral, meanwhile, tried to ascertain the location of the abdicated Emperor Erwin Josef II. By that point of time, Merkatz no longer wished for the restoration of the Goldenbaum Dynasty, but he still felt a responsibility towards the well-being of the abdicated emperor. There were no reports on his whereabouts since his disappearance from Heinessen at the end of the war against the Empire, but Merkatz stated that one of his final goals in life was to locate him. After Yang Wen-li and his subordinates arrived at Dayan Khan, Merkatz helped them plot their next move as Kaiser Reinhard used the death of the high commissioner to justify a [[Second Alliance–Imperial War|complete annexation]] of the Alliance. ({{logh|060|061|062|064|067}})<br />
<br />
==El Facil and Iserlohn==<br />
[[File:Merkatz Schneider observing evacuation.jpg|200px|left|thumb|Merkatz and Schneider observing Imperial survivors evacuating from Iserlohn ({{d|800|uc}})]]<br />
Finally, in December {{d|799|uc}}, Yang made up his mind to go to [[El Facil]], which had [[El Facil Revolutionary Government|proclaimed its independence]] from both the Alliance and the Empire. As the Alliance government prepared to fight the Empire, Yang's former colleagues sent ships, personnel and supplies to join him at El Facil. High Admiral Merkatz became the chief of staff of the new "El Facil Revolutionary Reserve Force," which consisted of the former Yang Fleet and various Alliance ships that had come to join them. Yang made up his mind to retake [[Iserlohn Fortress]] but since the El Facil government wanted him to remain on the planet, he sent Merkatz as the commander of the assault force in his place. ({{logh|065|068|069}})<br />
<br />
Merkatz led the El Facil force in retaking Iserlohn by tricking the [[Lutz Fleet]] to leave the fortress and then using a previously established code, left by Yang when he abandoned Iserlohn, to shut down its computers. Thus the fleet was able to enter the fortress while Admiral [[Cornelius Lutz]]'s main force was away without the threat of them using the [[Thor Hammer]]. Their ground troops, led by the [[Rosen Ritter]] regiment, secured the interior of the fortress and fired upon the returning Lutz Fleet, forcing it to retreat. Thus Iserlohn Fortress became the main headquarters of their group. ({{logh|070}})<br />
<br />
It was not long before Kaiser Reinhard decided to go on the offensive and besieged Iserlohn, taking over El Facil. Merkatz helped in the preparations in the assault and took field command during the initial stages of the [[Battle of the Corridor]], when the [[Fahrenheit Fleet]] and the [[Black Lancers]] were lured in and defeated by the El Facil Revolutionary Reserve Force. The old admiral remembered Fahrenheit back from his days in the Imperial Navy, having fought alongside him at the Battle of Astarte and during the Imperial Civil War, and spent some time mourning after hearing of his old colleague's death. The next part of the battle saw the Yang Fleet triumph over the numerically superior Imperial forces, although largely thanks to the fact that Kaiser Reinhard fell ill and decided to come to terms with the El Facil government (or more specifically, with Yang personally). However, Yang was assassinated on the way there by members of the [[Terraism|Church of Terra]]. ({{logh|076|078|079|080|081|082}})<br />
<br />
Although many personnel left Iserlohn Fortress after the catastrophic loss of Admiral Yang, Merkatz was among those that stayed on and continued to work with the new leader, [[Julian Mintz]], Yang's adopted son. He advised the young commander on the intentions of Fleet Admiral [[Oskar von Reuenthal]] during his [[Reuenthal Rebellion|uprising]] against Kaiser Reinhard, believing that Reuenthal's rebellion might have had a chance of success if it was able to avoid a two-front war and waited for the Imperial Fleet's supply lines to become too long. ({{logh|084|092|095}})<br />
<br />
Merkatz again took field command during the [[Battle of Shiva]] in {{d|801|uc}}. The fleet actions led by Merkatz allowed a boarding ship to latch onto the Imperial supreme flagship, carrying the Rosen Ritter unit and some others, who fought their way to see the Kaiser. Merkatz himself was killed when he was injured in an explosion when the ''[[Hyperion]]'' came under fire from the [[Eisenach Fleet]]. Possessing more military experience than both Reinhard and Yang, he died at the age of 63, and his adjutant Commander Schneider performed his last duty to his superior by returning Merkatz's remains to his family back in the Empire. ({{logh|101|102|107|108|109}})<br />
<br />
==Legacy==<br />
[[File:Merkatz 1.jpg|200px|thumb|Admiral Merkatz ({{d|796|uc}})]]<br />
Merkatz was the classic career soldier and possibly one of the final supporters of the [[Goldenbaum Dynasty]] even though he knew there was no realistic chance of its revival. He knew that the old nobility as represented by the Lippstadt League had been corrupt and incompetent, and that life for the people of the Empire had improved with Lohengramm's reforms. Nonetheless, he could not bring himself to serve under Duke Lohengramm partly out of pride and partly out of feeling this would violate his oath of loyalty to the Goldenbaum Dynasty. Although he subsequently fought against the Galactic Empire and then the New Galactic Empire, he remained essentially apolitical and focused purely on military matters.<br />
<br />
==Appendices==<br />
===Appearances===<br />
<div class="appear"><br />
*{{logh}}<br />
**{{e|001}} (first appearance)<br />
**{{e|002}}<br />
**{{e|004}}<br />
**{{e|018}}<br />
**{{e|020}}<br />
**{{e|022}}<br />
**{{e|023}}<br />
**{{e|024}}<br />
**{{e|027}}<br />
**{{e|032}}<br />
**{{e|033}}<br />
**{{e|034}}<br />
**{{e|035}}<br />
**{{e|038}}<br />
**{{e|039}}<br />
**{{e|045}}<br />
**{{e|049}}<br />
**{{e|050}} <br />
**{{e|051}}<br />
**{{e|052}}<br />
**{{e|053}}<br />
**{{e|055}}<br />
**{{e|060}}<br />
**{{e|064}}<br />
**{{e|070}}<br />
**{{e|076}}<br />
**{{e|077}}<br />
**{{e|078}}<br />
**{{e|079}}<br />
**{{e|080}}<br />
**{{e|081}}<br />
**{{e|084}}<br />
**{{e|092}}<br />
**{{e|095}}<br />
**{{e|099}}<br />
**{{e|101}}<br />
**{{e|102}}<br />
**{{e|107}}<br />
**{{e|108}} (death)<br />
*{{onw}}<br />
</div><br />
<br />
===Memorable quotes===<br />
*"I have served the Goldenbaum Dynasty as a soldier for over forty years. If it is to be destroyed, then my final duty is to share in its fate. Even then, I am only a worthless old man." <br />
<br />
*"Don't be so mad. Duke Braunschweig is an ill man. Mentally. It's an illness bred from the five hundred year tradition of privilege for the nobility." <br />
<br />
*"My loyalty to His Majesty the Kaiser is no less than the Count's."<br />
<br />
*"What's hard for me to understand is that the people who should be protecting the young Kaiser are conversely pushing His Majesty into a vortex of political struggles and war."<br />
<br />
*"Privilege corrupts a man's soul. You instinctively justify yourself while blaming others."<br />
<br />
===Background information===<br />
[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willibald_(name) Willibald] is a rare and old German given name of Saxon origin which roughly means ''force equipped with bold decision''. [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merkatz_(Adelsgeschlecht) Merkatz] is the name of two 18th century Prussian noble families. It is also a shorter form for the meerkatze, the long-tailed monkey, or guenon.<br />
<br />
===Apocrypha===<br />
====Stage====<br />
[[File:Merkatz_on_stage.jpg|thumb|left|190px|Played by [[James Onoda]]]]<br />
Merkatz is played by [[James Onoda]] in the 2011 [[Legend of Galactic Heroes on stage|stage adaptation]] of LOGH.<br />
<br />
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[[Category:Alliance citizens|Merkatz willibald joachim von]]<br />
[[Category:Soldiers|Merkatz willibald joachim von]]<br />
[[Category:Iserlohn Republic citizens|Merkatz willibald joachim von]]<br />
[[Category:Imperial citizens|Merkatz willibald joachim von]]<br />
[[Category:Nobility|Merkatz willibald joachim von]]<br />
[[Category:Characters from Overture to a New War|Merkatz willibald joachim von]]</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Willibald_Joachim_von_MerkatzWillibald Joachim von Merkatz2022-10-11T06:40:22Z<p>WalkerEmp: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{infobox/character<br />
| image-top = Merkatz (BD).jpg<br />
| caption-top = High Admiral '''Merkatz''' ({{d|799|uc}})<br />
| gender = Male<br />
| affiliation = [[Iserlohn Republic]]<br>[[El Facil Revolutionary Government]] (former)<br>[[Free Planets Alliance]]/[[Galactic Empire Legitimate Government|Imperial Legitimate Government]] (former)<br>[[Galactic Empire]] (former)<br />
| rank = [[Military ranks of the Galactic Empire#High_Admiral|High Admiral]]<br>Fleet Admiral (appoited by legitimate government)<br />
| flagship = ''[[Hyperion]]''<br />''[[Nördlingen]]'' (former)<br />
| occupation = Legitimate government war minister (former)<br />
| status = Deceased (killed in action)<br />
| born = {{d|738|uc}}<br />
| died = {{d|801|uc}}<br />
| actor = [[Naya Gorō]] (deceased)<br />
}}<br />
'''Willibald Joachim von Merkatz''' (Japanese: '''ウィリバルト・ヨアヒム・フォン・メルカッツ''') was a distinguished [[Galactic Empire|Imperial]] {{rank|imperial|high admiral|lc}} who defected to the [[Free Planets Alliance|Alliance]] after being defeated in a [[Imperial Civil War|civil war]] and went on to serve both [[Yang Wen-li]] as well as the [[Galactic Empire Legitimate Government|Imperial exiled government]]. A veteran of countless battles, he was noted for his penchant of using massed small craft such as Imperial [[Gunship|gunships]] or later Alliance [[Spartanians]] in direct strikes against enemy warships. {{rank|imperial|Fleet Admiral}} [[Oskar von Reuenthal]] regarded him as one of the greatest tacticians of their era, the others being himself, Yang, [[Reinhard von Lohengramm|Reinhard]], and [[Wolfgang Mittermeyer]].<br />
<br />
Merkatz was killed in action during the [[Battle of Shiva]] in {{d|801|uc}}, aged 63. His faithful adjutant who had served him for at least about five years, {{rank|imperial|commander}} [[Bernhard von Schneider]], performed his final duty to the admiral by returning Merkatz's remains to his family in the Empire.<br />
<br />
==Late Goldenbaum Dynasty==<br />
[[File:Merkatz 3.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Merkatz along with his adjutant at Astarte ({{d|796|uc}})]]<br />
Not much is known about Merkatz's early career besides the fact that he was a flag officer since at least {{d|791|uc}}, and that he had become a famous soldier before [[Reinhard von Lohengramm|Reinhard]] was born, according to [[Paul von Oberstein]]. He was also regarded as popular and respected among lower ranking Imperial ratings and junior officers, with his reputation as a military commander being even known in the Alliance. One of his known actions was as a full {{rank|imperial|admiral|lc}} during the [[Sixth Battle of Iserlohn]] in {{d|794|uc}}, where he was the only elderly commander who fought in the fleet battle outside of [[Iserlohn Fortress]] and commanded the main Imperial fleet. ({{mut|04}}, {{hbshbl|12}}, {{logh|022|024}})<br />
<br />
Admiral Merkatz was one of five fleet commanders assigned to [[Reinhard von Lohengramm]] to replace his loyal subordinates prior to the start of the operation that would become the [[Battle of Astarte]]. While the others were vice admirals and rear admirals, Merkatz was a full admiral. He and the other officers were considered to be "problematic" by the Imperial naval command and that was the main reason for their assignment to Reinhard in the place of his regular staff, as this operation was not expected to succeed. It was noted by [[Oskar von Reuenthal]] at the time that Merkatz was recognized as a skilled commander but lacked adaptability and that prevented him from being promoted to {{rank|imperial|Fleet Admiral}}. However, during the battle Merkatz fought well against both the [[Free Planets Alliance|Alliance]] [[4th Fleet]] and [[6th Fleet]]. After Reinhard's operational plan turned out to be a success, much to everyone's surprise, Merkatz came to acknowledge the younger admiral's genius and his skepticism of Reinhard changed into respect. It was an attitude that stood in stark contrast to the continued contempt that the rest of the Imperial upper strata possessed toward the blond admiral. ({{onw}}, {{logh|001|002}})<br />
<br />
==The Lippstadt Rebellion==<br />
[[File:Merkatz with Braunschweig.png|thumb|200px|Merkatz receiving praise from Braunschweig following his victory at Schann-tau ({{d|797|uc}})]]<br />
During the attempted Alliance invasion of the Empire in the late summer and fall of {{d|796|uc}}, Merkatz was not involved as Count Lohengramm and his subordinates were given the task of defending Imperial territory. However, when Emperor [[Friedrich IV]] suddenly died shortly after the rout of the Alliance forces in October, a power struggle broke out within the Empire. The highborn aristocrats representing the Goldenbaum Dynasty's traditions and power were pitted against the ambitious reformist upstarts under Reinhard von Lohengramm, along with his ally of convenience, Minister of State [[Klaus von Lichtenlade]]. The Lohengramm–Lichtenlade axis placed the very young and impressionable [[Erwin Josef II]] on the throne, with the nobles seeing this as an assault against their influence. Although Merkatz initially wanted to remain neutral because he saw no reason to harm the troops with infighting, Duke [[Otto von Braunschweig]] threatened the old admiral into going along with the high nobles. ({{logh|013|016|018}})<br />
<br />
Duke Braunschweig did naturally appoint {{rank|imperial|High Admiral}} Merkatz the commander-in-chief of the [[Lippstadt League|Lippstadt Allied Forces]] upon the outbreak of the civil war, as the confederated aristocrats' combined military came to be known. Using [[Geiersburg Fortress]] as their base of operations, Merkatz proposed that they allow Reinhard's forces to come to them so the Lippstadt fleet could attack them when they stretched out their supply lines and were far from [[Odin]]. However, a proposal by Admiral [[Staden]] to attack Odin while Reinhard was away was also accepted much to Merkatz's chagrin, though Staden's force ended up being routed. Merkatz later scored the Lippstadt League's only victory over the enemy in the war, the [[Battle of Schann-tau]], but it was strategically insignificant. He was also outraged to find upon his return that Marquis [[Wilhelm von Littenheim]] ventured out to fight against Admiral [[Siegfried Kircheis]] without consulting Merkatz, since Braunschweig allowed it to happen because he did not want his rival Littenheim around, ignoring Merkatz's authority as supreme commander. Littenheim ended up being defeated and killed while losing [[Littenheim Fleet|a third]] of their fleet in the process. ({{logh|020|022}})<br />
<br />
As a result, the [[Lohengramm Fleet]] ended up surrounding the nobles at Geiersburg. The final straw for Merkatz was when some young nobles ignored his orders and decided to go out to fight the enemy instead of waiting them out. Also, by then the high aristocrats' view of the ageing admiral had greatly changed, from one of respect and admiration for a brilliant tactician to one of hatred and contempt for what they perceived to be cowardice and indecisiveness, as Merkatz had predicted before joining up with them. The nobles fell for Lohengramm's trick to lure them out of the fortress and their fleet was nearly destroyed, only saved by the high admiral sortieing out and saving them from total annihilation. ({{logh|022}})<br />
<br />
In his outrage at the murder of his nephew Baron [[Scheidt]], Braunschweig ordered a nuclear attack on the planet [[Westerland]] despite it being considered a taboo to use nuclear weapons during that age, ignoring the advice of others against it. This attack recorded and broadcast across the Empire, serving to demoralize the Lippstadt troops and to shatter any lingering sympathies for the nobles among the populace. The situation began to fall apart as mass desertions and suicides began occurring in Geiersburg. Braunschweig and the other nobles ordered a full final assault with what remained of their fleet, which Merkatz joined in, and after they were defeated the old admiral contemplated suicide as he both felt too proud to surrender to Reinhard and due to his oath of loyalty to the Goldenbaum Dynasty. Merkatz was persuaded by his subordinate, [[Bernhard von Schneider]], to seek refuge with [[Yang Wen-li]] instead by defecting to the [[Free Planets Alliance]] in order to fight another day. ({{logh|023}})<br />
<br />
==In the name of the Kaiser==<br />
[[File:Merkatz defection.png|200px|left|thumb|Merkatz arriving at Iserlohn Fortress to defect ({{d|797|uc}})]]<br />
Upon arriving in the Alliance, Merkatz and his adjutant Schneider were welcomed by Yang and his associates, although at first he and his adjutant were treated with suspicion by the rest of his staff. He and Schneider still continued to wear their Imperial uniforms and the old admiral considered himself to be a loyalist of the Goldenbaum Dynasty. Merkatz was given the status of a "guest admiral" while he was part of the [[Iserlohn Garrison Fleet]], roughly equivalent to an Alliance {{rank|fpa|vice admiral|lc}}. In this capacity he mainly served as a tactical advisor and occasionally took command of the fleet, with the first occasion being during the [[Eighth Battle of Iserlohn]]. At the time Admiral Yang had been called for an inquiry on [[Heinessen]] and the Imperial Fleet attacked then with the mobilized [[Geiersburg Fortress]] (much to Merkatz's surprise). The guest admiral used the Alliance fleet to entrap and give heavy losses to Admiral [[Neidhart Müller]]'s fleet. The attack from the Geiersburg force was eventually repulsed and Admiral Yang returned to assist them. ({{logh|027|032|033|034}})<br />
<br />
Not long after the attempted Imperial attack during the spring of {{d|798|uc}}, a scheme organized by the leaders of [[Dominion of Fezzan|Fezzan]] saw the young child emperor [[Erwin Josef II]] kidnapped from [[Neue Sanssouci]] on Fezzan by a couple of former Lippstadt officers and smuggled into the Alliance. Fezzani head of state [[Adrian Rubinsky]] used this as a means of preventing the Empire and Alliance from coming to terms, and Reinhard went along with his plan for his own purposes. Once the young kaiser arrived on [[Heinessen]], the creation of a "[[Galactic Empire Legitimate Government]]" was proclaimed, which consisted mainly of high aristocrats and Lippstadt veterans. Merkatz found this out while viewing the broadcast on Iserlohn along with the rest of the Yang Fleet, and was shocked when he was announced as the government's minister of military affairs. After some deliberation with Schneider and others, Admiral Merkatz decided to accept the Imperial government-in-exile's request and departed for Heinessen. When Merkatz called it the highest honor that someone facing Reinhard von Lohengramm could have, Schneider pointed out that there were no troops for him to command and the position was mostly an empty title. Although the old admiral said he was still loyal to Emperor Erwin Josef, Merkatz believed that the remaining nobles should not have gotten a child involved in war and politics. ({{logh|030|036|037|038|039}})<br />
<br />
[[File:Legitimate gov military.png|thumb|200px|The military of the exiled government is inspected by Merkatz ({{d|799|uc}})]]<br />
With the beginning of [[Operation Ragnarök]], the Empire's invasion of the Alliance using the [[Fezzan Corridor]], Merkatz left Heinessen and took part in the major actions that the [[Yang Fleet]] carried out after the main [[Free Planets Star Fleet]] was defeated at [[Battle of Rantemario|Rantemario]]. His involvement with the Imperial government-in-exile was largely unknown, although he attended cabinet meetings and ended up being one of its last members to not abandon its premier, Count [[Jochen von Remscheid]], as the Imperial invasion began. It's "military" consisted of less than ten people in total and decided to join Merkatz with the Yang Fleet. After taking part in various engagements with Imperial admirals, Merkatz and the rest took part in the [[Battle of Vermilion]] against Reinhard von Lohengramm's main fleet in a decisive battle. They ended up being tactically victorious but were prevented from obtaining victory by an order from the Alliance government on Heinessen telling them to stand down and asking for a ceasefire with the Imperial Fleet. A part of the Imperial force had taken control of Heinessen during the battle and thus ended the war, as Yang decided to follow the government's order. Admiral Yang assumed that most of the Alliance Navy would be dismantled as part of any peace treaty, so he sent a small group to lead a resistance movement that could provide a potential force to resist the Empire in the future. Since Merkatz was wanted by the Empire he asked the old admiral to lead this group, to which he agreed. ({{logh|045|049|050|051|052|053}})<br />
<br />
=="Sherwood"==<br />
As Yang predicted, the Alliance signed the unequal [[Treaty of Ba'alat]] in May {{d|799|uc}} which essentially turned it into a client state of the [[New Galactic Empire]] of the newly ascended Kaiser Reinhard, and began dismantling many of its warships. The remaining Imperial legitimate government had been dissolved and its members taken into custody, though the young emperor disappeared. Merkatz and a small force of sixty ships, meanwhile, had arrived at the abandoned [[Dayan Khan]] supply base in an asteroid, where they began planning their next move. This force also included a small number of Alliance military personnel that were officially listed as killed in action. Yang the others referred to Merkatz's group as "Sherwood," intending for it to preserve a part of the Alliance Fleet in order to lead a resistance in the future. They understood that they needed to expand their fleet, however, and Yang passed along information to Merkatz that the Alliance would be dismantling several thousand warships. Merkatz's group managed to capture many of the decommissioned [[battleship]]s and [[carrier]]s, while many crewmen defected to join their resistance group. However, the incident added credibility to rumors that had been circulating in the months following the end of the [[Alliance–Imperial War]], that the old Imperial admiral was still alive and now that he was the one responsible for having carried out the hijacking of ships. The Imperials placed Yang and his former subordinates under surveillance. ({{logh|053|055|058|060}})<br />
<br />
A series of events on Heinessen in the summer of 799 led to the arrest of Yang by the Alliance government and the death of Imperial high commissioner [[Helmut Lennenkampf]], which forced Yang and his subordinates to escape from the planet. They then headed to Merkatz's base of operations. The former Imperial high admiral, meanwhile, tried to ascertain the location of the abdicated Emperor Erwin Josef II. By that point of time, Merkatz no longer wished for the restoration of the Goldenbaum Dynasty, but he still felt a responsibility towards the well-being of the abdicated emperor. There were no reports on his whereabouts since his disappearance from Heinessen at the end of the war against the Empire, but Merkatz stated that one of his final goals in life was to locate him. After Yang Wen-li and his subordinates arrived at Dayan Khan, Merkatz helped them plot their next move as Kaiser Reinhard used the death of the high commissioner to justify a [[Second Alliance–Imperial War|complete annexation]] of the Alliance. ({{logh|060|061|062|064|067}})<br />
<br />
==El Facil and Iserlohn==<br />
[[File:Merkatz Schneider observing evacuation.jpg|200px|left|thumb|Merkatz and Schneider observing Imperial survivors evacuating from Iserlohn ({{d|800|uc}})]]<br />
Finally, in December {{d|799|uc}}, Yang made up his mind to go to [[El Facil]], which had [[El Facil Revolutionary Government|proclaimed its independence]] from both the Alliance and the Empire. As the Alliance government prepared to fight the Empire, Yang's former colleagues sent ships, personnel and supplies to join him at El Facil. High Admiral Merkatz became the chief of staff of the new "El Facil Revolutionary Reserve Force," which consisted of the former Yang Fleet and various Alliance ships that had come to join them. Yang made up his mind to retake [[Iserlohn Fortress]] but since the El Facil government wanted him to remain on the planet, he sent Merkatz as the commander of the assault force in his place. ({{logh|065|068|069}})<br />
<br />
Merkatz led the El Facil force in retaking Iserlohn by tricking the [[Lutz Fleet]] to leave the fortress and then using a previously established code, left by Yang when he abandoned Iserlohn, to shut down its computers. Thus the fleet was able to enter the fortress while Admiral [[Cornelius Lutz]]'s main force was away without the threat of them using the [[Thor Hammer]]. Their ground troops, led by the [[Rosen Ritter]] regiment, secured the interior of the fortress and fired upon the returning Lutz Fleet, forcing it to retreat. Thus Iserlohn Fortress became the main headquarters of their group. ({{logh|070}})<br />
<br />
It was not long before Kaiser Reinhard decided to go on the offensive and besieged Iserlohn, taking over El Facil. Merkatz helped in the preparations in the assault and took field command during the initial stages of the [[Battle of the Corridor]], when the [[Fahrenheit Fleet]] and the [[Black Lancers]] were lured in and defeated by the El Facil Revolutionary Reserve Force. The old admiral remembered Fahrenheit back from his days in the Imperial Navy, having fought alongside him at the Battle of Astarte and during the Imperial Civil War, and spent some time mourning after hearing of his old colleague's death. The next part of the battle saw the Yang Fleet triumph over the numerically superior Imperial forces, although largely thanks to the fact that Kaiser Reinhard fell ill and decided to come to terms with the El Facil government (or more specifically, with Yang personally). However, Yang was assassinated on the way there by members of the [[Terraism|Church of Terra]]. ({{logh|076|078|079|080|081|082}})<br />
<br />
Although many personnel left Iserlohn Fortress after the catastrophic loss of Admiral Yang, Merkatz was among those that stayed on and continued to work with the new leader, [[Julian Mintz]], Yang's adopted son. He advised the young commander on the intentions of Fleet Admiral [[Oskar von Reuenthal]] during his [[Reuenthal Rebellion|uprising]] against Kaiser Reinhard, believing that Reuenthal's rebellion might have had a chance of success if it was able to avoid a two-front war and waited for the Imperial Fleet's supply lines to become too long. ({{logh|084|092|095}})<br />
<br />
Merkatz again took field command during the [[Battle of Shiva]] in {{d|801|uc}}. The fleet actions led by Merkatz allowed a boarding ship to latch onto the Imperial supreme flagship, carrying the Rosen Ritter unit and some others, who fought their way to see the Kaiser. Merkatz himself was killed when he was injured in an explosion when the ''[[Hyperion]]'' came under fire from the [[Eisenach Fleet]]. Possessing more military experience than both Reinhard and Yang, he died at the age of 63, and his adjutant Commander Schneider performed his last duty to his superior by returning Merkatz's remains to his family back in the Empire. ({{logh|101|102|107|108|109}})<br />
<br />
==Legacy==<br />
[[File:Merkatz 1.jpg|200px|thumb|Admiral Merkatz ({{d|796|uc}})]]<br />
Merkatz was the classic career soldier and possibly one of the final supporters of the [[Goldenbaum Dynasty]] even though he knew there was no realistic chance of its revival. He knew that the old nobility as represented by the Lippstadt League had been corrupt and incompetent, and that life for the people of the Empire had improved with Lohengramm's reforms. Nonetheless, he could not bring himself to serve under Duke Lohengramm partly out of pride and partly out of feeling this would violate his oath of loyalty to the Goldenbaum Dynasty. Although he subsequently fought against the Galactic Empire and then the New Galactic Empire, he remained essentially apolitical and focused purely on military matters.<br />
<br />
==Appendices==<br />
===Appearances===<br />
<div class="appear"><br />
*{{logh}}<br />
**{{e|001}} (first appearance)<br />
**{{e|002}}<br />
**{{e|004}}<br />
**{{e|018}}<br />
**{{e|020}}<br />
**{{e|022}}<br />
**{{e|023}}<br />
**{{e|024}}<br />
**{{e|027}}<br />
**{{e|032}}<br />
**{{e|033}}<br />
**{{e|034}}<br />
**{{e|035}}<br />
**{{e|038}}<br />
**{{e|039}}<br />
**{{e|045}}<br />
**{{e|049}}<br />
**{{e|050}} <br />
**{{e|051}}<br />
**{{e|052}}<br />
**{{e|053}}<br />
**{{e|055}}<br />
**{{e|060}}<br />
**{{e|064}}<br />
**{{e|070}}<br />
**{{e|076}}<br />
**{{e|077}}<br />
**{{e|078}}<br />
**{{e|079}}<br />
**{{e|080}}<br />
**{{e|081}}<br />
**{{e|084}}<br />
**{{e|092}}<br />
**{{e|095}}<br />
**{{e|099}}<br />
**{{e|101}}<br />
**{{e|102}}<br />
**{{e|107}}<br />
**{{e|108}} (death)<br />
*{{onw}}<br />
</div><br />
<br />
===Memorable quotes===<br />
*"I have served the Goldenbaum Dynasty as a soldier for over forty years. If it is to be destroyed, then my final duty is to share in its fate. Even then, I am only a worthless old man." <br />
<br />
*"Don't be so mad. Duke Braunschweig is an ill man. Mentally. It's an illness bred from the five hundred year tradition of privilege for the nobility." <br />
<br />
*"My loyalty to His Majesty the Kaiser is no less than the Count's."<br />
<br />
*"What's hard for me to understand is that the people who should be protecting the young Kaiser are conversely pushing His Majesty into a vortex of political struggles and war."<br />
<br />
*"Privilege corrupts a man's soul. You instinctively justify yourself while blaming others."<br />
<br />
===Background information===<br />
[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willibald_(name) Willibald] is a rare and old German given name of Saxon origin which roughly means ''force equipped with bold decision''. [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merkatz_(Adelsgeschlecht) Merkatz] is the name of two 18th century Prussian noble families. It is also a shorter form for the meerkatze, the long-tailed monkey, or guenon.<br />
<br />
===Apocrypha===<br />
====Stage====<br />
[[File:Merkatz_on_stage.jpg|thumb|left|190px|Played by [[James Onoda]]]]<br />
Merkatz is played by [[James Onoda]] in the 2011 [[Legend of Galactic Heroes on stage|stage adaptation]] of LOGH.<br />
<br />
{{navbox/soldiers/Alliance|collapsed}}<br />
{{navbox/soldiers/Empire|collapsed}}<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Alliance citizens|Merkatz willibald joachim von]]<br />
[[Category:Soldiers|Merkatz willibald joachim von]]<br />
[[Category:Iserlohn Republic citizens|Merkatz willibald joachim von]]<br />
[[Category:Imperial citizens|Merkatz willibald joachim von]]<br />
[[Category:Nobility|Merkatz willibald joachim von]]<br />
[[Category:Characters from Overture to a New War|Merkatz willibald joachim von]]</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Talk:Soon_SoulTalk:Soon Soul2022-01-09T22:37:23Z<p>WalkerEmp: </p>
<hr />
<div>==Name kana==<br />
We definitely need some kana for this mess of a name. — [[User:Canary|Canary]]<br />
<br />
:Not sure what you mean? There's kana in the article: スーン・スールズカリッター ''suun suuruzukarittaa''. I would love to know what the hell their intention was with it though — is it meant to be a real name, or did they just invent it out of the blue? If the former, what is it? I searched for some time online but i couldn't find anything. <span style="color: #bbb">♥</span> [[User:kine|<span style="color: #359fef !important;">kine</span>]]<br />
<br />
::That so? Could have sworn there wasn't any katakana there at all when I posted that.<br />
<br />
: If I may try. The first name can be written many ways (Soon, Soun, Soune, Sune, etc.), but the last name I'm proposing is "Suhlsgarichter", the proto-germanic. (Suhl + garicht). [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 22:13, 9 January 2022 (UTC)</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Talk:Soon_SoulTalk:Soon Soul2022-01-09T22:35:21Z<p>WalkerEmp: </p>
<hr />
<div>==Name kana==<br />
We definitely need some kana for this mess of a name. — [[User:Canary|Canary]]<br />
<br />
:Not sure what you mean? There's kana in the article: スーン・スールズカリッター ''suun suuruzukarittaa''. I would love to know what the hell their intention was with it though — is it meant to be a real name, or did they just invent it out of the blue? If the former, what is it? I searched for some time online but i couldn't find anything. <span style="color: #bbb">♥</span> [[User:kine|<span style="color: #359fef !important;">kine</span>]]<br />
<br />
::That so? Could have sworn there wasn't any katakana there at all when I posted that.<br />
<br />
: If I may try. The first name can be written many ways (Soon, Soun, Soune, Sune, etc.), but the last name I'm proposing is "SuhlsGarRitter". In an 1844 document, there was a bavarian military officer name GarRitter von Kleyle . [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 22:13, 9 January 2022 (UTC)</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Talk:Soon_SoulTalk:Soon Soul2022-01-09T22:13:51Z<p>WalkerEmp: </p>
<hr />
<div>==Name kana==<br />
We definitely need some kana for this mess of a name. — [[User:Canary|Canary]]<br />
<br />
:Not sure what you mean? There's kana in the article: スーン・スールズカリッター ''suun suuruzukarittaa''. I would love to know what the hell their intention was with it though — is it meant to be a real name, or did they just invent it out of the blue? If the former, what is it? I searched for some time online but i couldn't find anything. <span style="color: #bbb">♥</span> [[User:kine|<span style="color: #359fef !important;">kine</span>]]<br />
<br />
::That so? Could have sworn there wasn't any katakana there at all when I posted that.<br />
<br />
: If I may try. The first name can be written many ways (Soon, Soun, Soune, Sune, etc.), but the last name I'm proposing is "Suhlsgarichter", the proto-germanic. (Suhl + garicht). [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 22:13, 9 January 2022 (UTC)</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Talk:Military_ranks_of_the_Galactic_EmpireTalk:Military ranks of the Galactic Empire2022-01-07T09:37:03Z<p>WalkerEmp: /* 'Fleet admiral' to 'grand admiral'? */</p>
<hr />
<div>==Uniforms==<br />
Just a thought - we need to differentiate between the uniforms of the Goldenbaum military and the uniforms of the Goldenlohen military. It'd be good if we could find some pictures of the bare uniforms to use, but most likely we'll just have to take screenshots from the show.<br />
<br />
A good idea for the Goldenbaums, at least, would be to rely solely on pictures of Reinhard. We see him at pretty much every rank, after all.[[User:Vympel|Vympel]] 14:54, 8 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:I agree, i think ultimately the page should have two tables at the top showing just the insignia for each dynasty, and then next to each rank section we can have a good screenshot of a person of that rank. The FPA one will be that way too (but they'd only have one table for insignia) <span style="color: #bbb">&nbsp;♥</span>&nbsp;[[User:kine|<span style="color: #359fef !important;">kine</span>]] @ 15:05, 8 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::I think we could use screenshots of Reinhard's rank insignia from when he held different ranks and use those as an example of the rank insignia in a table. —[[User:Goldenbaum Loyalist|Goldenbaum Loyalist]] 15:37, 2 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::The gallery already contains sketches showing the uniforms and rank insignia of both dynasties. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 21:02, 2 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== 'Fleet admiral' to 'grand admiral'? ==<br />
<br />
This change has implications for the entire site, so we should get a consensus first. To clarify, i guess the proposal is that '元帥' becomes 'grand admiral' for the Empire but remains 'fleet admiral' for the Alliance?<br />
<br />
What does everyone think of that? Given the historical context and the German translation used in the OVA, i think it might make sense. But is it too clever? In general i like to be as accurate with names/terms as possible (see [[Walküre]]) but i do worry that it could confuse people if we deviate too much from the common terminology in fan circles. Not sure.<br />
<br />
If everyone likes it, we'll want to commit to it going forward. Ideally i would also run my bot on all the existing pages but i'm not sure if i have it set up any more.<br />
<br />
It does pose a problem for the [[Template:Rank|rank template]] if the names aren't the same for Imperial and Alliance. Currently, the only thing the second (party) field does is determine which 'Military ranks of...' page gets linked. It doesn't contain any logic to render different names for different parties. We will have to either add that logic or require that people only use 'fleet admiral' for Alliance and 'grand admiral' for Imperial — which isn't ideal, i don't want them to have to remember that. The formatted code also needs updated for that template. Since the current code isn't really correct anyway, i'm going to revert it for now, but we can revisit if everyone approves. <span style="color: #bbb">&nbsp;♥</span>&nbsp;[[User:kine|<span style="color: #359fef !important;">kine</span>]] @ 21:43, 4 January 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Frankly I am opposed to this change, because Japanese is the source language we are translating from, not German. So '元帥' might very well be rendered as 'Großadmiral' in the Empire, but there is no reason why we should base our translation on the latter instead of the former. This is unlike Walküre, which is clearly intended in the original Japanese to be such. It is not as if Fleet Admiral Steinmetz is addressed as 'グロスアドミラル・シュタインメッツ', to give a crude example. [[User:Glacierfairy|Glacierfairy]] 09:54, 6 January 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::You're right that we normally translate directly from Japanese. That's been the policy all along and i don't think we should change it, in large part because most of the German in the series has already been questionably translated from the Japanese once.<br />
<br />
::In this case, though, i don't think it represents translation from the German. 'Grand admiral' is a term used ''in English'' to describe a rank that existed in the historical German navy which is equivalent to 'fleet admiral'. '元帥' is the only term used to refer to the rank in the dialogue of the series, and it can be translated into English either way depending on the context. The only thing 'Großadmiral' does is (potentially) act as that context.<br />
<br />
::That would be my thinking if we made this change — it wouldn't be a second- or third-hand translation from the German term itself, just a choice of English term based on a cultural/historical reference they intended to make in the original Japanese. But i'm not pushing for it. If you guys don't like it i'm happy with fleet admiral. <span style="color: #bbb">&nbsp;♥</span>&nbsp;[[User:kine|<span style="color: #359fef !important;">kine</span>]] @ 23:48, 6 January 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:I have mixed feelings. For the original 2nd season subs, I did use Grand Admiral for the Empire vs. Fleet Admiral for the Alliance, because it was the equivalent listed at the old logh.net site. I admit it is also a personal preference in that I think Grand Admiral is more fitting for the Empire, especially since they get a cape. However I acknowledge the difficulty that some viewers might have with keeping in mind rank equivalence, and I am also generally not keen to just make changes simply to match it to "the Germanic way". [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 12:05, 6 January 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
[[File:Drei Grossadmiralsburg.jpg|right|200px]]<br />
: '''"Grand Admiral" is intention of Dr. Tanaka himself''', because he named an imperial fortress "[[Drei Großadmiralsburg Fortress|Drei Großadmiralsburg]]". This is the very original proof that the rank 元帥 for the Empire is "Großadmiral". [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 09:29, 7 January 2022 (UTC)</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Talk:Military_ranks_of_the_Galactic_EmpireTalk:Military ranks of the Galactic Empire2022-01-07T09:29:42Z<p>WalkerEmp: </p>
<hr />
<div>==Uniforms==<br />
Just a thought - we need to differentiate between the uniforms of the Goldenbaum military and the uniforms of the Goldenlohen military. It'd be good if we could find some pictures of the bare uniforms to use, but most likely we'll just have to take screenshots from the show.<br />
<br />
A good idea for the Goldenbaums, at least, would be to rely solely on pictures of Reinhard. We see him at pretty much every rank, after all.[[User:Vympel|Vympel]] 14:54, 8 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:I agree, i think ultimately the page should have two tables at the top showing just the insignia for each dynasty, and then next to each rank section we can have a good screenshot of a person of that rank. The FPA one will be that way too (but they'd only have one table for insignia) <span style="color: #bbb">&nbsp;♥</span>&nbsp;[[User:kine|<span style="color: #359fef !important;">kine</span>]] @ 15:05, 8 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::I think we could use screenshots of Reinhard's rank insignia from when he held different ranks and use those as an example of the rank insignia in a table. —[[User:Goldenbaum Loyalist|Goldenbaum Loyalist]] 15:37, 2 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::The gallery already contains sketches showing the uniforms and rank insignia of both dynasties. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 21:02, 2 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== 'Fleet admiral' to 'grand admiral'? ==<br />
<br />
This change has implications for the entire site, so we should get a consensus first. To clarify, i guess the proposal is that '元帥' becomes 'grand admiral' for the Empire but remains 'fleet admiral' for the Alliance?<br />
<br />
What does everyone think of that? Given the historical context and the German translation used in the OVA, i think it might make sense. But is it too clever? In general i like to be as accurate with names/terms as possible (see [[Walküre]]) but i do worry that it could confuse people if we deviate too much from the common terminology in fan circles. Not sure.<br />
<br />
If everyone likes it, we'll want to commit to it going forward. Ideally i would also run my bot on all the existing pages but i'm not sure if i have it set up any more.<br />
<br />
It does pose a problem for the [[Template:Rank|rank template]] if the names aren't the same for Imperial and Alliance. Currently, the only thing the second (party) field does is determine which 'Military ranks of...' page gets linked. It doesn't contain any logic to render different names for different parties. We will have to either add that logic or require that people only use 'fleet admiral' for Alliance and 'grand admiral' for Imperial — which isn't ideal, i don't want them to have to remember that. The formatted code also needs updated for that template. Since the current code isn't really correct anyway, i'm going to revert it for now, but we can revisit if everyone approves. <span style="color: #bbb">&nbsp;♥</span>&nbsp;[[User:kine|<span style="color: #359fef !important;">kine</span>]] @ 21:43, 4 January 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Frankly I am opposed to this change, because Japanese is the source language we are translating from, not German. So '元帥' might very well be rendered as 'Großadmiral' in the Empire, but there is no reason why we should base our translation on the latter instead of the former. This is unlike Walküre, which is clearly intended in the original Japanese to be such. It is not as if Fleet Admiral Steinmetz is addressed as 'グロスアドミラル・シュタインメッツ', to give a crude example. [[User:Glacierfairy|Glacierfairy]] 09:54, 6 January 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::You're right that we normally translate directly from Japanese. That's been the policy all along and i don't think we should change it, in large part because most of the German in the series has already been questionably translated from the Japanese once.<br />
<br />
::In this case, though, i don't think it represents translation from the German. 'Grand admiral' is a term used ''in English'' to describe a rank that existed in the historical German navy which is equivalent to 'fleet admiral'. '元帥' is the only term used to refer to the rank in the dialogue of the series, and it can be translated into English either way depending on the context. The only thing 'Großadmiral' does is (potentially) act as that context.<br />
<br />
::That would be my thinking if we made this change — it wouldn't be a second- or third-hand translation from the German term itself, just a choice of English term based on a cultural/historical reference they intended to make in the original Japanese. But i'm not pushing for it. If you guys don't like it i'm happy with fleet admiral. <span style="color: #bbb">&nbsp;♥</span>&nbsp;[[User:kine|<span style="color: #359fef !important;">kine</span>]] @ 23:48, 6 January 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:I have mixed feelings. For the original 2nd season subs, I did use Grand Admiral for the Empire vs. Fleet Admiral for the Alliance, because it was the equivalent listed at the old logh.net site. I admit it is also a personal preference in that I think Grand Admiral is more fitting for the Empire, especially since they get a cape. However I acknowledge the difficulty that some viewers might have with keeping in mind rank equivalence, and I am also generally not keen to just make changes simply to match it to "the Germanic way". [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 12:05, 6 January 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: '''"Grand Admiral" is intention of Dr. Tanaka himself''', because he named an imperial fortress "[[Drei Großadmiralsburg Fortress|Drei Großadmiralsburg]]". This is the very original proof that the rank 元帥 for the Empire is "Großadmiral". [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 09:29, 7 January 2022 (UTC)</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Template:RankTemplate:Rank2022-01-04T19:00:02Z<p>WalkerEmp: </p>
<hr />
<div><includeonly>[[{{#switch: {{lc:{{{1|}}}}} | free planets| free planets alliance| fpa= Military ranks of the Free Planets Alliance#| galactic empire| ge| empire| imperial= Military ranks of the Galactic Empire#| #default= }}{{#switch: {{lc:{{{2|}}}}} | warrant| wo| warrant officer= Warrant_officer{{!}}{{#switch: {{{3|}}}|lc = warrant officer|sc = Warrant officer|#default = Warrant Officer}}| petty officer second class| po 2| petty officer 2nd class= Petty_Officer_Second_Class{{!}}{{#switch: {{{3|}}}|lc = petty officer second class|sc = Petty officer second class|#default = Petty Officer Second Class}}| petty officer first class| po 1| petty officer 1st class= Petty_Officer_First_Class{{!}}{{#switch: {{{3|}}}|lc = petty officer first class|sc = Petty officer first class|#default = Petty Officer First Class}}| ens| ensign= Ensign{{!}}{{#switch: {{{3|}}}|lc = ensign|sc = Ensign|#default = Ensign}}| sub| sublt| sub lt| sub lieutenant| sublieutenant| sub-lieutenant= Sub-lieutenant{{!}}{{#switch: {{{3|}}}|lc = sub-lieutenant|sc = Sub-lieutenant|#default = Sub-lieutenant}}| lt| lieutenant= Lieutenant{{!}}{{#switch: {{{3|}}}|lc = lieutenant|sc = Lieutenant|#default = Lieutenant}}| ltcmdr| lt cmdr| lieutenant commander| lt commander= Lieutenant_commander{{!}}{{#switch: {{{3|}}}|lc = lieutenant commander|sc = Lieutenant commander|#default = Lt Commander}}| cmdr| commander= Commander{{!}}{{#switch: {{{3|}}}|lc = commander|sc = Commander|#default = Commander}}| capt| cpt| cptn| captain= Captain{{!}}{{#switch: {{{3|}}}|lc = captain|sc = Captain|#default = Captain}}| cdre| como| commodore= Commodore{{!}}{{#switch: {{{3|}}}|lc = commodore|sc = Commodore|#default = Commodore}}| radm| rear adm| rear admiral= Rear_admiral{{!}}{{#switch: {{{3|}}}|lc = rear admiral|sc = Rear admiral|#default = Rear Admiral}}| vadm| vice adm| vice admiral= Vice_admiral{{!}}{{#switch: {{{3|}}}|lc = vice admiral|sc = Vice admiral|#default = Vice Admiral}}| adm| admiral= Admiral{{!}}{{#switch: {{{3|}}}|lc = admiral|sc = Admiral|#default = Admiral}}| high| high adm| high admiral= High_admiral{{!}}{{#switch: {{{3|}}}|lc = high admiral|sc = High admiral|#default = High Admiral}}| fleet| fleet adm| flt| flt adm| fadm| fleet admiral= Fleet_admiral{{!}}{{#switch: {{{3|}}}|lc = grand admiral|sc = Grand admiral|#default = Grand admiral}}| #default= ERROR; SPECIFY FPA/IMPERIAL}}]]</includeonly><noinclude>{{documentation}}[[Category:Custom templates|{{PAGENAME}}]]</noinclude></div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Military_ranks_of_the_Galactic_EmpireMilitary ranks of the Galactic Empire2022-01-04T18:57:25Z<p>WalkerEmp: after Fortress Drei Großadmiralsburg</p>
<hr />
<div>The '''military ranks of the [[Galactic Empire]]''' were a system of hierarchical titles used to indicate position and stature within the Imperial military. One ranking system applied to both space and ground forces, and ground forces were considered the more junior arm of the military due to the dominance of space warfare. Officers could serve in both branches but there existed a minority that specialised purely in ground combat and boarding actions.<br />
<br />
==Ranks==<br />
===Spaceman Second Class===<br />
The insignia of a '''spaceman second class''' (Japanese: 二等兵 ''nitōhei'') consisted of epaulettes with no bars on the shoulders and no stripes on the cuffs of their sleeves. This was the starting rank for conscripts serving their 2 years of mandatory military service upon reaching the age of 20. ({{Hbshbl|8}})<br />
<br />
===Spaceman First Class===<br />
The insignia of a '''spaceman first class''' (Japanese: 一等兵 ''ittōhei'') consisted of epaulettes with no bars on the shoulders and one stripe on the cuffs of their sleeves. Conscripts serving their 2 years of mandatory military service upon reaching the age of 20 would be promoted to this rank after surviving one year of service. ({{Hbshbl|8}})<br />
<br />
===Able Spaceman===<br />
The insignia of an '''able spaceman''' (Japanese: 上等兵 ''jōtōhei'') consisted of epaulettes with no bars on the shoulders and two stripes on the cuffs of their sleeves.<br />
<br />
===Leading Spaceman===<br />
The insignia of a '''leading spaceman''' (Japanese: 伍長 ''gochō'') consisted of epaulettes with no bars on the shoulders and three stripes on the cuffs of their sleeves.<br />
<br />
===Petty Officer Second Class===<br />
The insignia of a '''petty officer second class''' (Japanese: 軍曹 ''gunsō'') consisted of epaulettes with one bar on the shoulders and three stripes on the cuffs of their sleeves.<br />
<br />
===Petty Officer First Class===<br />
The insignia of a '''petty officer first class''' (Japanese: 曹長 ''sōchō'') consisted of epaulettes with one bar on the shoulders and two stripes on the cuffs of their sleeves.<br />
<br />
===Warrant Officer===<br />
The insignia of a '''warrant officer''' (Japanese: 准尉 ''jun'i'') consisted of separate epaulettes and chest plates with a cane shaped flourish, with no bars on the end of each shoulder. Graduates of the officer academy typically received this rank when they began their service.<br />
<br />
===Ensign===<br />
The insignia of an '''ensign''' (Japanese: 少尉 ''shōi'') consisted of separate epaulettes and chest plates with a cane shaped flourish, with one bar on the end of each shoulder.<br />
<br />
===Sub-lieutenant===<br />
The insignia of a '''sub-lieutenant (lieutenant junior grade)''' (Japanese: 中尉 ''chūi'') consisted of separate epaulettes and chest plates with a cane shaped flourish, with two bars at the end of each shoulder.<br />
<br />
===Lieutenant===<br />
The insignia of a '''lieutenant''' (Japanese: 大尉 ''taii'') consisted of separate epaulettes and chest plates with a cane shaped flourish, with three bars on the end of each shoulder.<br />
<br />
===Lieutenant commander===<br />
The insignia of a '''lieutenant commander''' (Japanese: 少佐 ''shōsa'') consisted of separate epaulettes and chest plates with a W-shaped flourish, with one bar on the end of each shoulder.<br />
<br />
Examples:<br />
Lieutenant Commander [[Bernhard von Schneider]], (pre-[[Neue Reich]], [[Free Planets Alliance|FPA]])<br />
<br />
===Commander===<br />
The insignia of a '''commander''' (Japanese: 中佐 ''chūsa'') consisted of separate epaulettes and chest plates with a W-shaped flourish, with two bars on the end of each shoulder epaulette.<br />
<br />
===Captain===<br />
The insignia of a '''captain''' (Japanese: 大佐 ''taisa'') consisted of separate epaulettes and chest plates with a W-shaped flourish, with three bars on the end of each shoulder epaulette. A captain could command an individual flagship or battleship.<br />
<br />
Examples:<br />
Captain [[Hans Eduard Bergengrün]], (pre-[[Neue Reich]] and Neue Reich)<br />
<br />
===Commodore===<br />
The insignia of a '''commodore''' (Japanese: 准将 ''junshō'') consisted of unified epaulettes and chest plates, with no bars on the shoulders. Imperial commodores could command a a small squadron of ships of around 400 vessels (or less) that formed part of a larger Vice Admiral's named fleet. They could also serve in imperial staff positions and in ground forces like the imperial armored grenadiers.<br />
<br />
Example:<br />
Comodore [[Ansbach]], ([[Lippstadt League]])<br />
<br />
===Rear admiral===<br />
The insignia of a '''rear admiral''' (Japanese: 少将 ''shōshō'') consisted of unified epaulettes and chest plates, with one bar on the end of each shoulder. Imperial rear admirals could command a a fleet of around 2,000 vessels that formed part of a larger Vice Admiral's named fleet. They could also serve in Imperial staff positions and ground forces.<br />
<br />
Examples:<br />
Rear Admiral [[Oskar von Reuenthal]], (pre-[[Neue Reich]] and Neue Reich)<br />
Rear Admiral [[Anton Fellner]], (pre-[[Neue Reich]] and Neue Reich)<br />
Rear Admiral [[Fusseneger]], (pre-[[Neue Reich]])<br />
Rera Admiral [[Karl Edward Bayerlein]] ([[Neue Reich]], later promoted to full Admiral)<br />
<br />
===Vice admiral===<br />
The insignia of a '''vice admiral''' (Japanese: 中将 ''chūjō'') consisted of unified epaulettes and chest plates, with two bars on the end of each shoulder. Imperial vice admirals could command a a fleet of around 10,000 to 12,000 vessels that is identified by its admiral's last name. They could also serve in Imperial high staff positions and ground forces.<br />
<br />
Examples:<br />
Vice Admiral [[Flegel]], ([[Lippstadt League]])<br />
Vice Admiral [[Erlache]], (pre-[[Neue Reich]])<br />
Vice Admiral [[Arthur von Streit]], (pre-[[Neue Reich]])<br />
<br />
===Admiral===<br />
The insignia of an '''admiral''' (Japanese: 大将 ''taishō'') consisted of unified epaulettes and chest plates, with three bars on the end of each shoulder. Imperial Admirals command a a large fleet of around 13,000 to 17,000 vessels that is identified by its admiral's last name. They could also serve in Imperial high staff positions and ground forces.<br />
Examples:<br />
<br />
Examples: <br />
Admiral [[Alfred Grillparzer]], (pre-[[Neue Reich]] and Neue Reich)<br />
Admiral [[Karl Gustav Kempff]], (pre-[[Neue Reich]])<br />
Admiral [[Staden]], ([[Lippstadt League]])<br />
<br />
===High admiral===<br />
The insignia of a '''high admiral''' (Japanese: 上級大将 ''jōkyū taishō'') consisted of unified epaulettes and chest plates, with three bars on the end of each shoulder, plus a flourished diagonal bar on either side of the neck. Imperial High Admirals could command a large fleet of around 20,000 to 30,000 vessels that was identified by its admiral's last name. They could also serve as departments heads in the Imperial high staff and ground forces. High Admirals would also serve as a campaign and theater overall commander. <br />
<br />
This was the highest rank that a pure ground force commander could reach, and such a commander would have had command of all ground forces in the Empire. ({{hbshbl|07}})<br />
<br />
Examples: <br />
High Admiral [[Ernst von Eisenach]] ([[Neue Reich]])<br />
High Admiral [[Fritz Josef Bittenfeld]] ([[Neue Reich]])<br />
High Admiral [[Wilhelm von Littenheim]] ([[Lippstadt League]])<br />
High Admiral [[Willibald Joachim von Merkatz]], (pre-[[Neue Reich]], [[Free Planets Alliance]])<br />
<br />
===Grand admiral===<br />
The insignia of a '''Grand Admiral''' (Japanese: 元帥, ''gensui'' German: Großadmiral) consisted of unified epaulettes and chest plates, with three bars on the end of each shoulder, plus a flourished diagonal bar on either side of the neck plus a cloak and additional gold shoulder epaulettes.<br />
<br />
Imperial Grand Admirals command the Empire's different staff department post like Chief of General Staffs, Minister of War, Chief Commander and the Deputy Chief Commander of the Imperial Space Fleets. Grand Admirals would also serve as a campaign and theater overall commander.<br />
<br />
Examples:<br />
Grand Admiral [[Oskar von Reuenthal]] ([[Neue Reich]])<br />
Grand Admiral [[Otho von Braunschweig]] ([[Lippstadt League]])<br />
Grand Admiral [[Ehrenberg]] (pre-[[Neue Reich]])<br />
<br />
[[Category:Galactic Empire]]<br />
<br />
==Gallery==<br />
<gallery widths=160px><br />
File:EmpireEnlistedRanks.jpg|Enlisted Ranks (Galactic Empire) <br />
File:EmpireOfficerRanks.jpg|Officer Ranks (Galactic Empire) <br />
File:EmpireFlagOfficerRanks.jpg|Flag Officer Ranks (Galactic Empire)<br />
File:NewEmpireEnlistedRanks.jpg|Enlisted Ranks (New Galactic Empire) <br />
File:NewEmpireOfficerRanks1.jpg|Junior officer Ranks (New Galactic Empire) <br />
File:NewEmpireOfficerRanks2.jpg|Senior officer Ranks (New Galactic Empire)<br />
File:NewEmpireFlagOfficerRanks.jpg|Flag Officer Ranks (New Galactic Empire)<br />
File:NewEmpireFleetAdmiral1.jpg|Fleet Admiral (New Galactic Empire)<br />
File:NewEmpireFleetAdmiral2.jpg|How to take off Fleet Admiral uniform (New Galactic Empire)<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
* [[Military ranks of the Free Planets Alliance]]</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Wolfgang_MittermeyerWolfgang Mittermeyer2021-12-28T18:38:22Z<p>WalkerEmp: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{infobox/character<br />
| image-top = Mittermeyer_2.jpg<br />
| caption-top = Fleet Admiral '''Mittermeyer''' ({{d|800|uc}})<br />
| gender = Male<br />
| affiliation = [[Galactic Empire]]<br />
| rank = [[Military ranks of the Galactic Empire#Fleet_admiral|Fleet admiral]]<br />
| flagship = ''[[Beowulf]]''<br />''[[Grendel]]'' (former)<br />
| occupation = Space Fleet Chief Commander<br />
| status = Alive ({{d|801|uc}})<br />
| born = 30 August {{d|768|uc}}<br />
| spouse = [[Evangelin Mittermeyer]]<br />
| children = [[Felix Mittermeyer]] (adopted)<br />
| actor = [[Mori Katsuji]]<br />
}}<br />
'''Wolfgang Mittermeyer''' (Japanese: '''ウォルフガング・ミッターマイヤー''') was an [[Galactic Empire|Imperial]] {{rank|imperial|fleet admiral}} who served as the Supreme Space Fleet Commander under [[Reinhard von Lohengramm]] and was a skilled tactician, becoming one of the two "Twin Pillars" of Reinhard's [[Goldenlöwe Dynasty]]. For his lightning-fast tactics in combat, Mittermeyer was known by the nickname of "Gale Wolf." He was a close friend of Fleet Admiral [[Oskar von Reuenthal]], another brilliant commander and the second member of the Twin Pillars, with whom he served as one of the two best commanders in Reinhard's [[New Galactic Empire]]. With the deaths of [[Siegfried Kircheis]], Reuenthal, and [[Paul von Oberstein]], Mittermeyer was the last of Reinhard von Lohengramm's early supporters against the [[Goldenbaum Dynasty]] and [[Nobility|high nobles]] left alive.<br />
<br />
==Early life and service==<br />
[[File:Mittermeyer.jpg|thumb|210px|left|Rear Admiral Mittermeyer, Imperial Fleet ({{d|795|uc}})]]<br />
Wolfgang Mittermeyer was born to a family of middle class professionals, and he decided to join [[Odin Imperial Officer Academy|military school]] in order to move up in the Galactic Empire's rigid social structure. In {{d|785|uc}} while still in military school, Mittermeyer became acquainted with [[Evangelin Mittermeyer|Evangelin]], an orphaned distant relative from his mother's side who had moved in with his family. Over the years, he ended up falling in love with her and would propose to her in {{d|792|uc}}, which she accepted.<br />
<br />
As a young {{rank|imperial|sublieutenant|lc}} in {{d|789|uc}}, he first met fellow officer [[Oskar von Reuenthal]] at a bar, when the two of them got into a fight with some [[Imperial Military Police]]men who had been picking on an enlisted rating. After that bar fight Mittermeyer had become a close friend of Reuenthal, and the two of them kept in touch throughout their military career. Reuenthal would later attend his best friend's wedding in {{d|792|uc}}. ({{logh|028}})<br />
<br />
Around May {{d|794|uc}} Mittermeyer was a {{rank|imperial|captain|lc}} and was working a desk job at the [[Ministry of War (Odin)|Ministry of War]] on [[Odin]]. He and Reuenthal were working there together and shortly after the [[Battle of Van-Fleet]] the two of them saw [[Reinhard von Lohengramm]] and [[Siegfried Kircheis]] for the first time. The former had just been promoted to the rank of {{rank|imperial|rear admiral|lc}} and had turned eighteen years old recently. The two of them speculated about Reinhard's abilities, with Reuenthal telling him that the blond admiral was a "baby tiger mistaken for a house cat" and that the enemy was under no obligation to lose just because his [[Annerose|sister]] was a favorite of the Kaiser. By December {{d|794|uc}} Mittermeyer and Reuenthal had both been promoted to {{rank|imperial|commodore|lc}} and had fought as squadron commanders in the [[Sixth Battle of Iserlohn]], where during an [[Free Planets Alliance|Alliance]] offensive their calm and coordinated leadership was credited for preventing a total rout of the disorganised Imperial fleet. ({{logh|030}}; {{hbshbl|06|12}})<br />
<br />
Mittermeyer became one of the youngest admirals in Imperial history, attaining the rank in his twenties—all the more impressive for a man of common birth. A man with a strong sense of morality, Mittermeyer became a target for assassination when he had the temerity to follow military regulations and execute a soldier who had murdered a civilian woman in order to rob her. The executed soldier had been of noble birth, which enraged Mittermeyer's superiors and very clearly made him a marked man. In order to save his friend's life from the high nobles, Oskar von Reuenthal then approached [[Reinhard von Lohengramm]], hoping the nineteen year old admiral would be able to help Mittermeyer. Reinhard, Kircheis, and Reuenthal confronted the high nobles and freed Mittermeyer from prison. Thus both of the young admirals pledged to follow Reinhard thereafter. ({{logh|087}})<br />
<br />
==Late Goldenbaum Dynasty==<br />
By {{d|795|uc}}, around the time of the [[Battle of Astarte]], Mittermeyer and Reuenthal were both serving under the command of Reinhard von Lohengramm. When Reinhard was assigned to lead an incursion into Alliance territory with a fleet of 20,000 ships, both Mittermeyer and his other staff officers were replaced with others that he had not worked with before (as part of a scheme by the nobles to get Reinhard killed), so his subordinates spent the Battle of Astarte back at Iserlohn. Mittermeyer, Reuenthal, and Reinhard's chief of staff [[Ernest Mecklinger]] spent some of their time speculating about Reinhard's temporary fleet commanders and were glad to learn that despite the odds against him, their young blond admiral succeeded. Following the victory at Astarte, Mittermeyer joined the newly promoted Fleet Admiral von Lohengramm's admiralty, becoming a {{rank|imperial|vice admiral|lc}}. Although Mittermeyer and the other vice admirals had to sit out during the [[Castrop Rebellion]], they did spend those early days in {{d|796|uc}} assisting their young commander in other ways, so Mittermeyer ended up helping Reuenthal and Kircheis protect the blond admiral's sister [[Annerose]] from a [[Susanna von Beenemünde|vengeful rival]]. ({{mciss}}; {{logh|005|011}})<br />
<br />
However, their chance to shine came during attempted Alliance [[invasion of the Imperial Territory]]. After the authorities of [[Dominion of Fezzan|Fezzan]] leaked information to the Empire about an impending massive invasion, Reinhard was appointed by Kaiser Friedrich IV to repel them. As part of the plan they removed food supplies from the border regions and waited for the Alliance offensive to overstretch its supply lines while burdening them with a starving civilian population. When the Alliance Fleet's supply corps was not capable of keeping up with the demand and their front line units reached the point of exhaustion, Mittermeyer was one of the commanders who led the counterattack. Mittermeyer led his forces in [[Battle of Alviss|attacking]] the [[9th Fleet]] of Vice Admiral [[Al-Salem]] in the [[Alviss Starzone]]. Taken by surprise because of Mittermeyer's lightning-fast speed, Al-Salem was unable to mount an effective defense and was wounded early on in the battle when his flagship was damaged. His fleet sustained at least 50% losses at the hands of Mittermeyer's forces. Subsequently, he took part in mopping up the Alliance remnants at the subsequent [[Battle of Amritsar]] along with the rest of the Imperial admirals. ({{logh|014|015}})<br />
<br />
By the time of the victory over the Alliance, Mittermeyer and Reuenthal had essentially established themselves as the leading members of the Lohengramm admiralty and were both promoted to full {{rank|Imperial|admiral|lc}}. However, the Kaiser suddenly died not long after the victory, plunging the Empire into a succession crisis as he had left no designated heir. Reinhard took advantage of the opportunity and Mittermeyer, along with Reuenthal, began formulating a plan for when the [[Imperial Civil War]] against Reinhard's rivals, the [[nobility]], would inevitably begin. Reinhard conspired with acting prime minister [[Klaus von Lichtenlade]] to crown the child [[Erwin Josef II]] as the next emperor; because he was easy to control. The high nobles correctly saw this as an attack on their influence over the Imperial state and began preparing for war, creating the [[Lippstadt League]]. When the nobles tried to make a move, Reinhard was prepared and used it as an excuse to carry out a coup against them on [[Odin]]. Mittermeyer awaited them at the main spaceport, where he and his troops managed to arrest some of the nobles trying to flee the Imperial capital. ({{logh|015|017|018}})<br />
<br />
With the outbreak of the civil war in early {{d|797|uc}}, newly-appointed Supreme Commander Reinhard's admirals would again distinguish themselves in combat. Mittermeyer managed to defeat his former instructor at the officer school, Admiral [[Staaden]], during the [[Battle of Altena]]. Using a minefield, Mittermeyer tricked Staaden into dividing his forces and later defeated them one at a time. After that, he cooperated with his friend Reuenthal to take [[Rentenburg Fortress]], which was defended by the commander of the armored grenadier corps, [[Ovlesser]]. Eventually the "Gale Wolf" and "Odd Eyes" confronted Ovlesser in person, tricking him and managing to capture the brute by outsmarting him. Thus Rentenburg Fortress fell thanks to their efforts. The also took part in the final engagement outside of the nobles's stronghold of [[Geiersburg Fortress]], routing Duke [[Otto von Braunschweig]]'s fleet and defeating his Lippstadt League. ({{logh|020|022|023}})<br />
<br />
==Ragnarök==<br />
With the fall of the high nobles in late {{d|797|uc}}, the Goldenbaum Dynasty was essentially reduced to a puppet of Reinhard von Lohengramm, who was appointed Imperial Prime Minister. Internal reforms began that swept away the foundation of the ''ancien régime'', introducing freedoms and laws that were unheard of in the domain of the Goldenbaums, so although the dynasty was technically still reigning its political influence had disappeared. While Reinhard had been lamenting the death of Kircheis on Geiersburg, shortly after the defeat of the nobles, Mittermeyer and Reuenthal rushed back to Odin on recommendation of [[Paul von Oberstein]], where they carried out a coup against acting premier Klaus von Lichtenlade—ostensibly for planning to murder Reinhard. Mittermeyer seized the [[Imperial Seal]], taking control of the government, while Reuenthal arrested Lichtenlade. Thus Reinhard had become the dictator of the Empire, while Mittermeyer and Reuenthal, as his top admirals gained more influence, along with promotions to the rank of {{rank|imperial|high admiral|lc}}. This was briefly interrupted in the spring of {{d|798|uc}} with the deployment of a mobilized Geiersburg Fortress, equipped with warp engines, to the Iserlohn Corridor—a move that both Mittermeyer and his close friend opposed—but ultimately that operation failed to destroy or capture Alliance-held Iserlohn. Mittermeyer and Reuenthal took part in a skirmish with an Alliance fleet that had been pursuing retreating Imperial survivors, annihilating it. ({{logh|026|027|028|031|035}})<br />
<br />
During the summer of {{d|798|uc}}, unbeknownst to Mittermeyer, Reinhard had gotten involved in a Fezzani scheme to kidnap the child emperor Erwin Josef and take him to the Alliance, where some high nobles would form a [[Galactic Empire Legitimate Government|government-in-exile]], thus giving him the ''casus belli'' to invade the Alliance. With the kidnapping successful and establishment of an exiled government, Mittermeyer and Reuenthal placed their fleets on high alert and later took part in the discussions for the invasion plan, [[Operation Ragnarök]], which would entail invading through the Fezzan Corridor. As part of the plan, Mittermeyer would command the southern force that would enter the Fezzan Corridor and occupy the planet itself, using it as a bridgehead to attack the Alliance, while Reuenthal would command the northern force which would besiege Iserlohn to trick the Alliance government. In December of that year, Mittermeyer made history when his forces landed on [[Fezzan]] and took control of the planet, catching the administration of [[Adrian Rubinsky]] off guard. ({{logh|036|037|038|041|042|044}})<br />
<br />
With the fall of Fezzan, the Alliance government panicked as now the Imperial Fleet could enter Alliance space virtually unopposed, as they did not have enough units left after the [[Alliance Civil War]] to challenge the Empire's forces. Mittermeyer led the offensive into Alliance territory in January {{d|799|Uc}} and the following month their combined forces managed to defeat a smaller fleet scrambled together by the Alliance government under [[Alexandre Bewcock]]. But after several months the Imperials were unable to completely secure the border regions because of a guerilla campaign waged by Admiral [[Yang Wen-li]]. Thus Reinhard decided on a plan to spread out the Imperial forces while leaving himself vulnerable, forcing Yang to come out and engage him in an open battle. At that point the other Imperial fleets would turn around and return to Reinhard, surrounding and destroying the [[Yang Fleet]]. ({{logh|045|048|049|050}})<br />
<br />
However, Yang was too skilled of a tactician and so the Imperial fleets were unable to return in time. However, Reinhard's aide [[Hildegarde von Mariendorf]] had met with Mittermeyer and told the young admiral of the situation. She believed that Reinhard would not be able to win, but urged Mittermeyer to go to [[Heinessen]] and force the Alliance government to surrender and get Yang to stop his attack. Although the blond high admiral had his reservations about the plan, he decided to go along as there was no other option. Together with Reuenthal, Mittermeyer and Mariendorf arrived at defenseless Heinessen and persuaded the administration of [[Job Trunicht]] to capitulate. Trunicht did so, ordering Yang to stop attacking and ask for a ceasefire. Yang followed orders, and thus Mittermeyer, along with Reuenthal and Mariendorf, were able to prevent their young lord from being killed in battle. ({{logh|051|052|053}})<br />
<br />
==Neue Reich==<br />
After Reinhard's coronation as Kaiser, Mittermeyer was promoted to the rank of Fleet Admiral and appointed as the Chief Commander of the Fleet.<br />
<br />
Upon von Reuenthal's rebellion Mittermeyer made a desperate appeal to Reinhard to give his friend the chance to explain himself, offering to relinquish all ranks and offices if Reinhard would remove [[Paul von Oberstein]] and [[Heydrich Lang]] at least temporarily from office as a sign of good faith. When this proved unsuccessful, he resolved to remove them personally but was prevented at the last minute from murdering Lang by the invervention of [[Ulrich Kesler]].<br />
<br />
After leading a rapid blitz into the former [[Free Planets Alliance]] against his close friend Oskar von Reuenthal and ending [[Reuenthal's Revolt]], Mittermeyer continued to faithfully serve the Kaiser. He was in command of the Imperial forces for the vast majority of the [[Battle of Shiva]], the final battle of the series, after the Kaiser collapsed during the opening stages. Upon the Kaiser's death, he was the only survivor from the initial pact between himself, [[Reinhard von Lohengramm]], [[Siegfried Kircheis]], and Oskar von Reuenthal that resulted from the other three saving him from prison. Being the last remaining original Fleet Admiral, he was likely the second most powerful person in existence, after the Kaiserin, and would have played a pivotal role in the Empire's future. His adopted son [[Felix Mittermeyer]] was hinted to be the next great ambitious figure for the Empire.<br />
<br />
==Personal life==<br />
Known to be a kind, family man, Wolfgang Mittermeyer and his wife, Evangelin Mittermeyer, were unable to conceive any children so far. Eventually they would adopt the son of Oskar von Reuenthal, following his death.<br />
<br />
==Appendices==<br />
===Appearances===<br />
<div class="appear"><br />
*{{mciss}} (first appearance)<br />
*{{logh}}<br />
**{{e|001}}<br />
**{{e|005}}<br />
**{{e|008}}<br />
**{{e|011}}<br />
**{{e|013}}<br />
**{{e|014}}<br />
**{{e|015}}<br />
**{{e|016}}<br />
**{{e|018}}<br />
**{{e|020}}<br />
**{{e|022}}<br />
**{{e|023}}<br />
**{{e|025}}<br />
**{{e|026}}<br />
**{{e|027}} (???)<br />
**{{e|028}}<br />
**{{e|030}}<br />
**{{e|034}}<br />
**{{e|035}}<br />
**{{e|037}}<br />
**{{e|038}}<br />
**{{e|041}}<br />
**{{e|042}}<br />
**{{e|043}}<br />
**{{e|044}}<br />
**{{e|045}}<br />
**{{e|047}}<br />
**{{e|048}}<br />
**{{e|049}}<br />
**{{e|050}}<br />
**{{e|053}}<br />
**{{e|054}}<br />
**{{e|055}}<br />
**{{e|087}}<br />
**{{e|096}}<br />
**{{e|097}}<br />
**{{e|098}}<br />
**{{e|110}}<br />
</div><br />
<br />
===Name Variations===<br />
*'''Wolfgang Mittermeier''' (Novels)<br />
<br />
===Memorable quotes===<br />
"Do not think that Wolfgang Mittermeyer is double-tongued!"<br />
<br />
===Background information===<br />
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfgang Wolfgang] is a common German given name and roughly means ''striding with a wolf''. [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mittermayr Mittermeyer] is a common Bavarian surname.<br />
<br />
{{navbox/soldiers/Empire|collapsed}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Soldiers|Mittermeyer wolfgang]]<br />
[[Category:Imperial citizens|Mittermeyer wolfgang]]<br />
[[Category:Characters from Overture to a New War|Mittermeyer wolfgang]]</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Oskar_von_ReuenthalOskar von Reuenthal2021-12-28T18:37:49Z<p>WalkerEmp: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{infobox/character<br />
| image-top = Reuenthal_2.jpg<br />
| caption-top = Fleet Admiral '''Reuenthal''' ({{d|800|uc}})<br />
| gender = Male<br />
| affiliation = [[Galactic Empire]]<br />
| rank = {{rank|imperial|fleet admiral}}<br />
| flagship = ''[[Tristan]]''<br />''[[Morholt]]'' (former)<br />
| occupation = Chief of High Command Office<br />Governor-General of [[Neue Land]]<br />
| status = Deceased (combat injuries)<br />
| born = 26 October {{d|767|uc}}<br />
| died = 16 December {{d|800|uc}}<br />
| children = [[Felix Mittermeyer]] (biological)<br />
| relatives = [[Elfriede von Kohlrausch]] (child's mother)<br />
| actor = [[Wakamoto Norio]]<br />
}}<br />
'''Oskar von Reuenthal''' (Japanese: '''オスカー・フォン・ロイエンタール''') was an [[Galactic Empire|Imperial]] {{rank|imperial|fleet admiral}} who served as the Chief of High Command Office, Governor-General of the [[Free Planets Alliance|former Alliance]] [[Neue Land|territory]], and was one of the "Twin Pillars" of Kaiser [[Reinhard von Lohengram|Reinhard]]'s [[Goldenlöwe Dynasty]]. Nicknamed the "Bewitching Eyes" for his heterochromatic eyes, Reuenthal was a brilliant commander and was considered to be second only to Reinhard in terms of strategic ability. He was a close friend of fellow Fleet Admiral [[Wolfgang Mittermeyer]], the Space Fleet Commander and the other one of the Twin Pillars of the Goldenlöwe Dynasty. The two of them were some of Reinhard von Lohengramm's earliest supporters against the [[Goldenbaum Dynasty]] and [[Nobility|high nobles]] ruling the first Empire. However, after complex scheming by various interests behind the scenes, Reuenthal decided to [[Reuenthal Rebellion|rise in rebellion]] against his Kaiser, only to fall in battle.<br />
<br />
Fleet Admiral Reuenthal had been regarded as one of the five best tacticians of that era, and also proved himself to be a capable administrator as the Governor-General of the occupied Alliance territories.<br />
<br />
==Biography==<br />
===Early life and service===<br />
[[File:Young Reuenthal flashback.jpg|thumb|left|210px|Reuenthal as a child]]<br />
Oskar von Reuenthal was born in {{d|767|uc}}, to a couple of [[Nobility#Low Nobles|lower nobility]], similarly to Reinhard von Müsel. His father had chosen to get married at age forty after stabilising his finances, to the third daughter of Count Marbach. The Marbach family by then had been in a poor financial state, so she married him in order to obtain his wealth. However, rumours that she was having an affair with a younger man persisted, and when their child Oskar was born, he had one brown and one blue eye, even though both husband and wife had blue eyes. His mother then tried to gouge out one of his eyes with a knife, as it was evidence of her affair, but was stopped by a servant who entered the room at that moment. She ended up committing suicide while Reuenthal's father drowned himself with alcohol, becoming distant and not caring about his son. Ever since that incident in his infancy, Reuenthal remained bitter towards women. He would only reveal this story to his friend Mittermeyer. ({{logh|028}})<br />
<br />
At some point, Reuenthal joined the [[Imperial Armed Forces|Imperial Fleet]] and became an officer, ending up meeting [[Wolfgang Mittermeyer]] at a bar when they were both {{rank|imperial|sub-lieutenant|lc}}s, in {{d|789|uc}}. They both helped some lower ranking ratings who were being picked on by the [[Imperial Military Police]], fighting alongside each other in a bar fight with the MPs, and had been close friends ever since. Reuenthal later attended his best friend's wedding with [[Evangelin Mittermeyer|Evangelin]] in {{d|792|uc}}. ({{logh|028}})<br />
<br />
By May {{d|794|uc}}, shortly after the [[Battle of Van-Fleet]], Oskar von Reuenthal was a {{rank|imperial|captain|lc}} in the Imperial Fleet (along with Mittermeyer), and the two of them had seen [[Reinhard von Lohengramm]] (then von Müsel) and [[Siegfried Kircheis]] for the first time, in the [[Ministry of War]] on [[Odin]]. Reinhard, who was eighteen at the time and just promoted to {{rank|imperial|rear admiral|lc}}, was said by Reuenthal to have been "a baby tiger mistaken for a house cat," in response to a comparison made by Mittermeyer. He believed that Reinhard was so successful due to his own abilities, as the enemy was under no obligation to lose just because Reinhard's sister was favoured by Kaiser [[Friedrich IV]]. By December {{d|794|uc}}, Reuenthal had been promoted to the rank of {{rank|imperial|commodore|lc}} and fought in the [[Sixth Battle of Iserlohn]] as a squadron commander, where his and Mittermeyer's calm and capable leadership was credited with preventing a total rout of the Imperial fleet. ({{logh|030}}, {{hbshbl|06|12}})<br />
<br />
On 2 May {{d|795|uc}}, then-Rear Admiral Reuenthal swore allegiance to {{rank|imperial|Admiral}} Reinhard von Müsel in exchange for his help in freeing Mittermeyer from prison, when the latter was detained after having executed an aristocratic subordinate for a crime (which was taken as a slight since he was a commoner). After that, Reinhard and Kircheis went to the prison along with Reuenthal, freeing Mittermeyer from the [[Nobility|high nobles]] who had him extra-judicially arrested. Despite his subsequent loyalty to Reinhard, Reuenthal sometimes harboured thoughts of seizing even more power for himself, thoughts that eventually which led to his downfall. Somewhat of a womaniser, he despises the idea of settling down or having any children because his mother attempted to kill him when he was an infant because of his heterochromatic eyes. ({{logh|026|028|075|087|093}})<br />
<br />
===Late Goldenbaum era===<br />
[[File:Reuenthal.jpg|thumb|210px|Rear Admiral Reuenthal, Imperial Fleet ({{d|795|uc}})]]<br />
By the winter of {{d|795|uc}}, Reuenthal and Mittermeyer were rear admirals serving at [[Iserlohn Fortress]]. Although they were Reinhard von Lohengramm's fleet commanders and staff officers, they were ordered by the Naval Command to remain behind during the operation to invade the [[Astarte Starzone]] of the Free Planets Alliance, which {{rank|imperial|high admiral}} Lohengramm was ordered to carry out, and were temporarily replaced with other officers with whom Reinhard had not worked with. It was part of a set up by the high nobles, led by Duke [[Otto von Braunschweig]], to have Reinhard killed or fall from grace. Reuenthal thus stayed at Iserlohn Fortress for the duration of what would become the [[Battle of Astarte]], in January {{d|796|uc}}. However, much to Reuenthal's approval and the chagrin of the nobles, the blond admiral managed to pull off a victory against three numerically superior Alliance fleets regardless. ({{onw}})<br />
<br />
With Reinhard's success in the operation and his resulting promotion to {{rank|imperial|fleet admiral|lc}}, he established his own admiralty, and in it were several young, up and coming {{rank|imperial|vice admiral|lc}}s, with Reuenthal being among them. They mostly consisted of those who had a lower nobility or commoner background. During those early days Reuenthal, Mittermeyer, and the rest of them assisted their commander however they could, most notably by helping Kircheis free Reinhard's sister [[Annerose]] from the hands of a [[Sussanna von Beenemünde|certain vengeful noblewoman]]. However, they collectively did not get to make major accomplishments until the Alliance captured Iserlohn Fortress later that same year and began an attempted invasion of the Empire. When the Alliance's large expeditionary force occupied several Imperial regions and its supply lines were stretched to the limit, Imperial raids caused a shortage of supplies among the [[Free Planets Star Fleet]]'s front line units. Thus, the overextended and under-supplied Alliance invasion force at the height of its fatigued was overwhelmed by the Imperial Navy. The [[Reuenthal Fleet]] confronted Admiral [[Alexandre Bewcock]]'s [[5th Fleet]] during the Imperial counteroffensive. Although Bucock was prepared to withdraw to Iserlohn beforehand due to their untenable situation in the Imperial territory, he nonetheless sustained 30% losses from Vice Admiral Reuenthal's pursuit. ({{logh|005|011|015}})<br />
<br />
[[File:Reuenthal toasting.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Reuenthal toasting his commander's triumph at Astarte ({{d|796|uc}})]]<br />
With the successful defence of the Empire, Reuenthal received a promotion to full admiral around the late fall of {{d|796|uc}}. However, shortly after the Alliance invasion was repulsed, Emperor Friedrich IV died of a heart attack. The lack of a clear heir-apparent soon began a power struggle in the Imperial aristocracy. Reinhard was willing to work with the late Kaiser's Minister of State, [[Klaus von Lichtenlade]], to place the young [[Erwin Josef II]] on the throne, as he did not have influential parents like the other candidates and thus would be easy to control. The situation quickly deteriorated as the Empire was split into two camps, one defending the traditional order of the [[Goldenbaum Dynasty]], led by the highborn aristocrats, while the other sought power for itself, led by Reinhard and Klaus von Lichtenlade. This began an important chapter in Reuenthal's personal life. During the night of the Lohengramm–Lichtenlade "mini coup" against the high nobles on Odin, Reuenthal, incidentally, protected acting Imperial prime minister Lichtenlade's mansion. It was not the last time that Reuenthal would have dealings with the Lichtenlade clan. ({{logh|016|018}})<br />
<br />
===Lippstadt War and aftermath===<br />
As the [[Imperial Civil War]] began between the nobles' faction, the [[Lippstadt League]], and the Imperial government of Emperor Erwin Josef II, Reinhard was appointed Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet, while Reuenthal and Mittermeyer served as his top fleet commanders after Kircheis, the Vice Commander-in-Chief. Reuenthal–promoted to full admiral, along with Mittermeyer–fought in a number of engagements during the Lippstadt campaign, including the fight for [[Rentenburg Fortress]], the [[Battle of Schann-tau|battle]] for the [[Schann-tau Starzone]] against Admiral [[Willibald Joachim von Merkatz]], and the final [[Assault on Geiersburg Fortress|siege]] of the Lippstadt headquarters, [[Geiersburg Fortress]]. Due to the incompetence and arrogance of the high nobles, they were ultimately defeated despite having a much larger fleet and resources. When Kircheis was assassinated in the aftermath of the last battle, and Reinhard was distraught, Reuenthal suggested they needed to do something to fix their young ruler's demoralized state. Reuenthal later stated that he somewhat regretted saying that, but it seemed right at the time. ({{logh|020|022|023|035}})<br />
<br />
It became apparent that Lichtenlade harboured plans to move against them, and so a force led by Mittermeyer and Reuenthal returned to [[Odin]] from Geiersburg around that time to carry out a coup against the acting Imperial head of government. While Mittermeyer secured the [[Imperial Seal]] at the [[Prime Minister's official residence]], Reuenthal ended up being the one to directly arrest Lichtenlade in his mansion, and as a result the man ended up being forced to commit suicide after being accused of plotting to overthrow Fleet Admiral von Lohengramm. The fact that Reuenthal was the one who detained Lichtenlade and carried out the punishment of his family on Reinhard's behalf would have consequences for him later. Meanwhile, as a result of this action, Reinhard became the new Prime Minister while simultaneously being the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet, making him the de facto dictator of the Empire, as the reigning Kaiser was only seven years old. With the beginning of reforms under Prime Minister Duke von Lohengramm, it was also seen as the end of the Goldenbaum Dynasty (although it had not yet been formally deposed, as the seven-year old Erwin Josef II continued to reign in name) and the feudalistic social structure that it enforced. ({{logh|026|027}})<br />
<br />
===Operation Ragnarök===<br />
[[File:Ragnarokplan(DVD-CA).jpg|thumb|200px|Reuenthal was present at the planning meeting after the Kaiser's kidnapping ({{d|798|uc}})]]<br />
With the establishment of Reinhard von Lohengramm's uncontested rule, Oskar von Reuenthal began to question his allegiance to his lord. In a conversation shortly after the coup, Reinhard mentioned in a conversation about the fate of the Lichtenlade family that if Reuenthal felt that he could overthrow him too, he was welcome to try. In the early months of {{d|798|uc}}, when the force under Admiral [[Karl Gustav Kempff]] failed to use the mobilised Geiersburg Fortress to take over or destroy the Alliance-held Iserlohn, Reuenthal harboured the opinion that Reinhard viewed his top admirals as pawns that could be discarded when needed. His friend Mittermeyer disagreed and warned him to be careful of what he said, believing that if the faithfully functioned as Reinhard's arms and legs then they would get their due reward. Following the kidnapping of Emperor Erwin Josef by [[Dominion of Fezzan|Fezzani]]-supported Lippstadt veterans in the summer of 798, Reuenthal expressed distaste at the idea proposed by Reinhard to use the [[Fezzan Corridor]] to attack the Alliance, where the young Kaiser's kidnappers found refuge and established a [[Galactic Empire Legitimate Government|"legitimate" Goldenbaum government-in-exile]]. Reuenthal did not trust the scheming Fezzani enough to use their formerly demilitarised space to attack the Alliance, although Reinhard ultimately decided that it was the main plan and that the risks were nonetheless preferable to "piling up corpses" in the Iserlohn Corridor, especially after Kempff's failure earlier that spring. ({{logh|026|035|037|041}})<br />
<br />
When the Operation began Reuenthal initially commanded the forces that were sent to besiege Iserlohn and divert attention from the main thrust of the Imperial invasion. Reuenthal put up a battle against the defenders of Iserlohn for sometime, mainly limiting his efforts to "nuisance raids" after an initial offensive resulted in the Alliance [[Rosen Ritter]] infantry regiment getting aboard [[Tristan|Reuenthal's flagship]]. The Imperial high admiral fought in hand-to-hand combat against the Alliance commander [[Walter von Schönkopf]] until the two were interrupted by arriving troops. Meanwhile, a larger force under High Admiral Mittermeyer entered the Fezzan Corridor and occupied the planet itself. The fall of Fezzan came as a shock to the Alliance government, and the Empire successful made its way into Alliance space from the Corridor. At that point, Reuenthal allowed [[Yang Wen-li]]'s [[Yang Fleet|Iserlohn Garrison Fleet]] to evacuate Iserlohn, becoming known for [[Ninth Battle of Iserlohn|capturing]] the fortress. ({{logh|043|044|046}})<br />
<br />
Following that, Reuenthal arrived in Alliance space to meet up with the main Imperial force, leaving [[Cornelius Lutz]] behind as Iserlohn commander. Failing to track down Yang's remaining force and eliminate it, the Imperial command decided to lure them out into an open battle an annihilate them. As part of this strategy, the Reuenthal Fleet and most of the others were deployed to occupy other sectors, leaving Reinhard alone for Yang to be lured out. However, the [[Battle of Vermilion]] did not proceed exactly as planed, and Reuenthal was convinced by Mittermeyer and Reinhard's aide, [[Hildegard von Mariendorf]], to go straight to [[Heinessen]] and force the Alliance government to surrender and order Yang to stand down. Reuenthal initially noted what an opportunity it was, but decided to go along with Mittermeyer's plan, easing the tension around this proposal among all involved regarding the subject of Reuenthal's loyalty. That was why Mariendorf had gone to Mittermeyer rather than Reuenthal. The Alliance government quickly surrendered after some threats (Heinessen was undefended), which Reuenthal noted that they were "unexpectedly spineless." Yang was ordered to stand down, an order he obeyed. ({{logh|050|051|052|053}})<br />
<br />
Shortly after that, Reuenthal was present with the other admirals at Reinhard's coronation as Kaiser. ({{logh|055}})<br />
<br />
===Reinhard's reign===<br />
After Reinhard's coronation, Reuenthal was appointed as Chief of the High Command Office with the rank of Fleet Admiral, and would continue to hold this office during the next six months until shortly after the [[Second Alliance–Imperial War]], when he served as Reinhard's chief of staff aboard the ''[[Brünhild]]''. He ended up entering into a relationship with [[Elfriede von Kohlrausch]], niece of the former Prime Minister [[Klaus von Lichtenlade]], who initially tried to murder him for the death of Lichtenlade and the downfall of her family. Reuenthal then secretly harboured her in his house, only telling Mittermeyer. Although she at one point told him he should rebel against Kaiser Reinhard, Reuenthal told her he would because he was not capable enough. The woman eventually becomes pregnant with Reuenthal's child. When he humiliated [[Internal Security Department|secret police]] chief [[Heydrich Lang]] at a high-level meeting, Lang decided to get revenge by accusing Reuenthal of treason and looking for evidence of it. In the end he made a deal with the Fezzani leader who was in hiding since the Imperial invasion of [[Fezzan]], [[Adrian Rubinsky]], and was able to bring a treason case against Reuenthal to the Imperial justice minister [[Bruckdorf]]. This caused a disruption in the Fleet and many officers believed that it was an attack on Reuenthal by [[Paul von Oberstein]]. This result in a short investigation, and in the end, Kaiser Reinhard decided that Reuenthal was innocent due to his long allegiance to him, and appointed him to the post of Governor-General of the [[Neue Land|former Alliance worlds]], which after the [[Battle of the Corridor]] left Reuenthal in effective control of half the Imperial Fleet and civil administration over a large portion of the [[New Galactic Empire]]. ({{logh|058|064|067|071|075|076}})<br />
<br />
===Insurrection===<br />
[[File:Reuenthal musing.JPG|thumb|200px|left|Reuenthal ({{d|800|uc}})]]<br />
Late in {{d|800|uc}} a regicide attempt on Reinhard was made on the planet [[Uruvasi]] while he was en route to make a state visit to Heinessen. Rumours had been spread by Heydrich Lang that the visit was arranged by Reuenthal in order to make Reinhard vulnerable to capture, as the beginning of a rebellion. While this was not the case, the continuing adversarial relationship between Reuenthal and Oberstein made the former unwilling to approach Reinhard to explain how the attack had been made by soldiers supposed to be under his command. Rather than compromising his pride, Reuenthal decided that if he was going to be blamed for the treasonous attack then he would be a traitor in truth and broke from the Imperial Government, claiming that Oberstein and Lang were usurping power from Reinhard. Thus, his friend Mittermeyer was ordered by the Kaiser to lead a fleet in restoring order to the Neue Land, against Reuenthal. Although he was emotionally torn over this issue, Mittermeyer follows orders, attempting to reason with his friend to stop what he is doing. Reuenthal, however, proposes Mittermeyer to join his cause, and for the two to rule as Senior Emperor and Junior Emperor, dividing the Empire in two; with Mittermeyer naturally rejecting it as simply bloodthirsty dreams. Meanwhile, on Heinessen, Reuenthal secured the cooperation of admirals [[Alfred Grillparzer]] and [[Bruno von Knappstein]] in the coming revolt. Although Reuenthal also sent [[Murai]] to the republicans at Iserlohn Fortress offering them the Alliance territory in exchange for them not letting the Empire use the Corridor to launch a two-front attack against him, they refused. ({{logh|092|093|094|095}})<br />
<br />
In a clash of fleets, Reuenthal's forces were unable to attain victory over the combined Imperial fleet, and he ultimately ordered a retreat to Heinessen after a week of battle. Bruno von Knappstein was killed in combat and his fleet was destroyed, while the one under [[Alfred Grillparzer]] betrayed Reuenthal prior to a second engagement with Mittermeyer's forces, damaging Reuenthal's flagship ''[[Tristan]]'', leading to him being impaled by a shard of metal. He declined surgery in order to remain in command and was able to maintain an organised withdrawal of many of his units in the face of Mittermeyer's swift advance. Other portions of his fleet surrendered or were destroyed covering his retreat. When he returned to the administrative centre of the Neue Land, only about 10% of his fleet remained intact. ({{logh|096|097}})<br />
<br />
Returning to Heinessen with the awareness that his injuries were fatal, Reuenthal placed his affairs in order, handing the administration of his civil duties to subordinates who had not followed him in his uprising and taking the time to execute [[Job Trunicht]]. He was unexpectedly visited by Kohlrausch who he instructed to give their son to his friend Mittermeyer before offering her the chance to kill him rather than simply to watch him die, although she departed rather than taking either option. Although he tried to live long enough for Mittermeyer to arrive for a final farewell, Oskar von Reuenthal passed away on 16 December while dictating a letter. ({{logh|098}})<br />
<br />
Around the same time the battle was taking place, an investigation by [[Ernest Mecklinger]] reveals that Grillparzer—who had earlier investigated the Uruvasi incident—concealed evidence of [[Terraism|Terraist cult]] involvement in the regicide attempt on Reinhard, and ordered Grillparzer's arrest. Heydrich Lang also confessed to his dealings with Adrian Rubinsky to [[Ulrich Kesler]]'s Military Police, and his part to incite this whole affair with Reuenthal in order to weaken the Kaiser's power. Lang, and quite likely Grillparzer as well, were executed for treason. ({{logh|097|098}})<br />
<br />
==Personal life==<br />
[[File:Reuenthal in storm.jpg|thumb|200px|Reuenthal on the night of his pledging of loyalty to Reinhard ({{d|795|uc}})]]<br />
Reuenthal was born with heterochromia, a condition that left his left eye blue, and right eye brown. Both of Reuenthal's parents shared blue eyes, so this was observed as proof of his mother's adultery: because of this Reuenthal's mother attempted to murder him when he was still just an infant. Caught in the act, his mother then took her own life. His father blamed Reuenthal for the loss of his wife and took to drinking and treating Reuenthal with heavy disdain. This trauma led Reuenthal to avoid the idea of settling down, or having any children.<br />
<br />
Despite his loyalty to Reinhard, Reuenthal sometimes harbours thoughts of seizing even more power for himself, thoughts which eventually lead to his downfall.<br />
<br />
==Appendices==<br />
===Appearances===<br />
<div class="appear"><br />
*{{mciss}} (first appearance)<br />
*{{onw}}<br />
*{{logh}}<br />
**{{e|001}}<br />
**{{e|005}}<br />
**{{e|008}}<br />
**{{e|011}}<br />
**{{e|013}}<br />
**{{e|014}}<br />
**{{e|015}}<br />
**{{e|016}}<br />
**{{e|018}}<br />
**{{e|020}}<br />
**{{e|022}}<br />
**{{e|023}}<br />
**{{e|025}}<br />
**{{e|026}}<br />
**{{e|027}} <br />
**{{e|028}}<br />
**{{e|030}}<br />
**{{e|034}}<br />
**{{e|035}}<br />
**{{e|037}}<br />
**{{e|038}}<br />
**{{e|041}}<br />
**{{e|042}}<br />
**{{e|043}}<br />
**{{e|046}}<br />
**{{e|049}}<br />
**{{e|050}}<br />
**{{e|053}}<br />
**{{e|054}}<br />
**{{e|055}}<br />
**{{e|096}}<br />
**{{e|097}}<br />
**{{e|098}} (death)<br />
**{{e|109}} (dream)<br />
*{{hbshbl}}<br />
**{{e|06|hbshbl}}<br />
**{{e|12|hbshbl}} (final appearance)<br />
</div><br />
<br />
===Name variations===<br />
*'''Oskar von Reuental''' (<abbr title="LaserDisc">LD</abbr> subtitles)<br />
<br />
===Memorable quotes===<br />
#"Regardless of the colour of eyes or skin the colour of blood is the same for everyone,isn't it?"<br />
#"I don't think 'screaming in pain in place of his superior' is among an adjutant's duties."<br />
#"....For humans, there is an appropriate life, as well as an appropriate death."<br />
<br />
===Background information===<br />
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full-Reuenthal Full-Reuenthal] is a municipality in Switzerland. ''Reuen'' also means "regret" in German, which could be a possible allusion to Reuenthal's own tragic life.<br />
<br />
====Tristan connection====<br />
The name of Reuenthal's flagship, the [[Tristan]], is a reference to the character of the same name from the tale of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tristan_und_Isolde Tristan and Isolde]. It is interesting to note that the stories of Tristan and Reuenthal, although not exactly alike, have numerous similarities that would seem to suggest an intentional connection between the two:<br />
*Both characters fall in love with a resentful woman whose loved one(s) they have been responsible for killing — in Tristan's case, he has killed Isolde's fiancé; whilst in Reuenthal's case he was responsible for the arrest and likely killing of [[Elfriede von Kohlrausch|Elfriede]]'s great-uncle, [[Klaus von Lichtenlade]], and his family. <br />
*Both characters betray their benefactor — in Tristan's case, King Marke; and in Reuenthal's case, Kaiser [[Reinhard von Lohengramm|Reinhard]].<br />
*Both characters are forced to fight a dear and loyal friend — in Tristan's case, Melot; and in Reuenthal's case, [[Wolfgang Mittermeyer]].<br />
*Both characters are mortally wounded in said fight.<br />
*Both characters are returned to their 'castle' by a subordinate after being wounded.<br />
*Both characters are visited by the woman they love just before they die.<br />
<br />
===Apocrypha===<br />
====Stage====<br />
[[File:Reuenthal_on_stage.jpg|thumb|left|190px|Played by [[Higashiyama Yoshihisa]]]]<br />
Reuenthal is played by [[Higashiyama Yoshihisa]] in the 2011 [[Legend of Galactic Heroes on stage|stage adaptation]] of LOGH.<br />
<br />
{{navbox/soldiers/Empire|collapsed}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Soldiers|Reuenthal oskar von]]<br />
[[Category:Imperial citizens|Reuenthal oskar von]]<br />
[[Category:Nobility|Reuenthal oskar von]]<br />
[[Category:Characters from Overture to a New War|Reuenthal oskar von]]</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Talk:NobilityTalk:Nobility2021-11-27T23:37:32Z<p>WalkerEmp: /* Imperial noble ranks */</p>
<hr />
<div>==Separate or combined?==<br />
Are we going to have separate articles for these different factions of the nobility? We have one for [[High Nobles]], but i had figured we could just redirect that to this page, the same way we redirect Fezzan Corridor to Navigation corridors? <span style="color: #bbb">&nbsp;♥</span>&nbsp;[[User:kine|<span style="color: #359fef !important;">kine</span>]] @ 14:18, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::?? I brought this up earlier. I thought you had moved things into different pages? Originally, High nobles/nobles/reformer nobles were all one page. [[User:Canary|Canary]] 14:27, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::Did i really? Maybe i was drunk :(<br />
<br />
:::Do you prefer them all together as well then? <span style="color: #bbb">&nbsp;♥</span>&nbsp;[[User:kine|<span style="color: #359fef !important;">kine</span>]] @ 14:46, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::::Yeah, I prefer them merged. I think, in general, logh is such a rich setting that we are going to have (and already have) a whole lot of pages, so the simpler we keep things, the better.<br />
<br />
== Military service ==<br />
<br />
I vaguely recall this was either mentioned in an episode or written somewhere, but I don't remember where. Were the nobility exempt from military conscription that the common Imperial citizens had to do? —[[User:Goldenbaum Loyalist|Goldenbaum Loyalist]] 22:13, 19 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:In {{Hbshbl|8}}, Kircheis talks to Martin Bufholtz, and that is where the information about the mandatory military service of 2 years for commoners comes from. I cannot offhand recall a specific source explicitly saying the nobles were exempt. Things like Grand Duke Herbert including drinking friends among his military advisors suggest however 2 possibilities. The first is that maybe nobles were exempt from the mandatory service. Grand Duke Herbert's initial enjoyment of playing "soldier" seems to suggest this first option though it is not conclusive evidence. The second is they were not exempt but they got safe and easy jobs far from the front lines. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 01:47, 20 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
==Princes==<br />
<br />
Just as a note, and my own nitpick with the subs, the title of "Prince" (皇子, as in son of an emperor) actually is never used in the series to the best of my knowledge. The title Crown Prince (皇太子) does get used for the designated heir. The only known instances of the title Grand Duke (大公) all seem to be held by sons of the Kaiser. Grand Duke Herbert, Grand Duke Clementz, Grand Duke (in addition to his Crown Prince title) Richard etc... I wonder whether it is a ''de facto'' title for any princes in the Goldenbaum dynasty. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 03:44, 14 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Perhaps. For example, in East Slavic history, the title of Grand Duke and Prince/Grand Prince are often used interchangeably. In the Russian Empire the sons of the the Tsar were given the title of ''Veliky Knyaz'', which can be translated as either Grand Duke or Grand Prince (although the latter is more accurate). —[[User:Goldenbaum Loyalist|Goldenbaum Loyalist]] 17:02, 14 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Imperial noble ranks ==<br />
<br />
Adccording to the German nobility system,<br />
<br />
侯爵 (''koushaku'') must be translated to '''Fürst''' (Prince of...). It cannot be traslated as '''Markgraf''' (Marquis) which is just a form of '''Graf''' (Count). There is no tradition of promoting a Graf to a Markgraf (because it is the equal rank). If some Graf to be promoted, they will get promotion to Fürst, like German chancellor Otto von Bismarck.<br />
<br />
Also in Japanese language, they have translated Fürst as 侯爵. For example, "Fürst von Bismarck" has been translated as ビスマルク侯爵.<br>Someone claimed that 侯爵 can be translated as Markgraf, that is wrong. The Japanese has translated Markgraf as 辺境伯 (''henkyou-haku''). [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 09:40, 31 October 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:That might be true in German, but in Gineipaedia, English naming conventions take precedence over German, so 侯爵 would be translated as "Marquis" and not "Fürst". [[User:Glacierfairy|Glacierfairy]] 05:51, 1 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: Even the Gineipaedia take English naming over German, 侯爵 still should be translated as "Prince" (Fürst) not "Marquis" (Markgraf). [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 19:09, 1 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::No, what I meant was that English translations of the Japanese titles take precedence over German translations of the Japanese titles. [[User:Glacierfairy|Glacierfairy]] 01:42, 5 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::No,侯爵 is a direct copy of the Chinese nobility system and is translated as Marquis, not Prince. Prince as in sons of a king are 王子. Princes as in independent rulers of a principality are translated as 王, and "king" is a more appropriate translation. Neither of these describe the rank of 侯爵 which is the 2nd highest noble title, a step below 公爵. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 02:18, 6 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:: This topic concerns German, Japanese and English. It have nothing to do with Chinese in the first place. I may give you another example: "Fürst zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst" has been translated ホーエンローエ=シリングスフュルスト侯爵 in Japanese, and Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst in English. That's why I say "侯爵" should be translated "Prince" in English. <br />
<br />
:: The German ''Dukes'' (''Herzog'') has dignity = British Prince of Wales, the German ''Feudal Princes'' (''Fürst'') has dignity = British Dukes, the German ''Counts'' (''Graf'') has dignity = British Earls. [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 22:52, 22 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::No, it has everything to do with the Chinese noble system because that is both what Japan's system and the Galactic Empire's is based off of. The Galactic Empire superficial Germanic trappings aside is Imperial China. 侯爵 remains Marquis. Dukes remain 公爵 and the original name and titles show this to be the case such as for Grand Duke Herbert. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 08:53, 23 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::: The Galactic Imperial nobility is adapted from Germanic one. In the original novel, Annerose's title is clearly written in Katakana グラフィン・フォン・グリューネワルト (Gräfin von Grünewald) in Chapter 3 act II. It is the original proof that nobility system in LOGH is the Germanic one, not Chinese. Now let's talk about Grand Duke (大公), this one is also slightly mistranslated. 大公 can be translated both Grand Duke and Archduke, but the "Archduke" will be more accurate in this case, because in the Habsburg's Holy Roman Imperial court, sons of Kaisers held this title. [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 14:46, 23 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::::It still shows that 公爵 is Duke which is what you tried to contest, which is wrong. Quibbling over Archduke vs Grand Duke is also pointless as the two terms are synonymous but Herbert is clearly titled as Grand Duke in the hard coded original subs so that is what it will remain. The current titles stand and that is final. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 19:49, 23 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::: I'm not contesting anything about Grand Duke, this one is just my point of view. As you said, the original wrote Grand Duke, then it must be so.<br />
<br />
:::: Back to the main topic, you keep ignoring the importiant points and keep pressing you own assumption about your Chinese things, which lack of ORIGINAL SOURCE. You avoided mention about the fact that "Fürst" has been translated "侯爵" and "Prince", and ingnoring the fact that Annerose's title is written "Gräfin" in Katanaka. I don't mind if you will keep proposing about the Chinese, but at least say something about those facts. [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 13:18, 25 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::::侯爵 translates as Marquis (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marquess). Gräfin or Graf translates as 伯爵 in both Chinese and Japanese systems or Count (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Count) which is a middling rank below 侯, which has always historically in Asia been a high rank, 2nd only to Duke. Littenheim's rivalry and resentment towards Braunschweig is due to being 2nd highest noble in the Empire, not by being some mediocre middle rank noble . That is also part of the reason why Braunschweig and Flegel resent Reinhard and his sister. They resent them being granted what in their view is a ridiculously high rank, i.e. the 2nd highest. That is lost if it is 伯爵. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 22:00, 25 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::::: I have already said that German Marquis (Markgraf) and German Count (Graf) are equal ranks in the Germanic system. German Fürst and British Marquis are using the same Kanji 侯爵, but its dignity is not equal. <br />
<br />
:::::{| class="wikitable"<br />
! Dignity <br />
! Non-Germanic titles<br />
! Germanic titles<br />
|-<br />
! 1<br />
| Prince of... (公) || Herzog (公爵)<br />
|-<br />
! 2<br />
| Duke (公爵) || Fürst (侯爵)<br />
|-<br />
! 3<br />
| Marquis (侯爵) || -<br />
|-<br />
! 4<br />
| Earl (伯爵) || Graf (伯爵) (including Markgraf-Marquis 辺境伯)<br />
|-<br />
! 5<br />
| Viscount (子爵) || -<br />
|-<br />
! 6<br />
| Baron (男爵) || Freiherr (男爵)<br />
|}<br />
<br />
::::: As you can see, whether Non-Germanic or Germanic. 侯爵 is still one level below 公爵 (Duke). [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 15:35, 26 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::::::Good, so you admit then it is Duke Braunschweig. 大公 is Grand Duke, therefore 公 is Duke. Done. End of Discussion. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 19:56, 26 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::::: What are you talking about? At the very beginning, I've NEVER denied 公 as Duke. What makes you think that way. [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 23:37, 27 November 2021 (UTC)</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Talk:NobilityTalk:Nobility2021-11-26T15:35:43Z<p>WalkerEmp: /* Imperial noble ranks */</p>
<hr />
<div>==Separate or combined?==<br />
Are we going to have separate articles for these different factions of the nobility? We have one for [[High Nobles]], but i had figured we could just redirect that to this page, the same way we redirect Fezzan Corridor to Navigation corridors? <span style="color: #bbb">&nbsp;♥</span>&nbsp;[[User:kine|<span style="color: #359fef !important;">kine</span>]] @ 14:18, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::?? I brought this up earlier. I thought you had moved things into different pages? Originally, High nobles/nobles/reformer nobles were all one page. [[User:Canary|Canary]] 14:27, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::Did i really? Maybe i was drunk :(<br />
<br />
:::Do you prefer them all together as well then? <span style="color: #bbb">&nbsp;♥</span>&nbsp;[[User:kine|<span style="color: #359fef !important;">kine</span>]] @ 14:46, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::::Yeah, I prefer them merged. I think, in general, logh is such a rich setting that we are going to have (and already have) a whole lot of pages, so the simpler we keep things, the better.<br />
<br />
== Military service ==<br />
<br />
I vaguely recall this was either mentioned in an episode or written somewhere, but I don't remember where. Were the nobility exempt from military conscription that the common Imperial citizens had to do? —[[User:Goldenbaum Loyalist|Goldenbaum Loyalist]] 22:13, 19 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:In {{Hbshbl|8}}, Kircheis talks to Martin Bufholtz, and that is where the information about the mandatory military service of 2 years for commoners comes from. I cannot offhand recall a specific source explicitly saying the nobles were exempt. Things like Grand Duke Herbert including drinking friends among his military advisors suggest however 2 possibilities. The first is that maybe nobles were exempt from the mandatory service. Grand Duke Herbert's initial enjoyment of playing "soldier" seems to suggest this first option though it is not conclusive evidence. The second is they were not exempt but they got safe and easy jobs far from the front lines. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 01:47, 20 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
==Princes==<br />
<br />
Just as a note, and my own nitpick with the subs, the title of "Prince" (皇子, as in son of an emperor) actually is never used in the series to the best of my knowledge. The title Crown Prince (皇太子) does get used for the designated heir. The only known instances of the title Grand Duke (大公) all seem to be held by sons of the Kaiser. Grand Duke Herbert, Grand Duke Clementz, Grand Duke (in addition to his Crown Prince title) Richard etc... I wonder whether it is a ''de facto'' title for any princes in the Goldenbaum dynasty. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 03:44, 14 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Perhaps. For example, in East Slavic history, the title of Grand Duke and Prince/Grand Prince are often used interchangeably. In the Russian Empire the sons of the the Tsar were given the title of ''Veliky Knyaz'', which can be translated as either Grand Duke or Grand Prince (although the latter is more accurate). —[[User:Goldenbaum Loyalist|Goldenbaum Loyalist]] 17:02, 14 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Imperial noble ranks ==<br />
<br />
Adccording to the German nobility system,<br />
<br />
侯爵 (''koushaku'') must be translated to '''Fürst''' (Prince of...). It cannot be traslated as '''Markgraf''' (Marquis) which is just a form of '''Graf''' (Count). There is no tradition of promoting a Graf to a Markgraf (because it is the equal rank). If some Graf to be promoted, they will get promotion to Fürst, like German chancellor Otto von Bismarck.<br />
<br />
Also in Japanese language, they have translated Fürst as 侯爵. For example, "Fürst von Bismarck" has been translated as ビスマルク侯爵.<br>Someone claimed that 侯爵 can be translated as Markgraf, that is wrong. The Japanese has translated Markgraf as 辺境伯 (''henkyou-haku''). [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 09:40, 31 October 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:That might be true in German, but in Gineipaedia, English naming conventions take precedence over German, so 侯爵 would be translated as "Marquis" and not "Fürst". [[User:Glacierfairy|Glacierfairy]] 05:51, 1 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: Even the Gineipaedia take English naming over German, 侯爵 still should be translated as "Prince" (Fürst) not "Marquis" (Markgraf). [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 19:09, 1 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::No, what I meant was that English translations of the Japanese titles take precedence over German translations of the Japanese titles. [[User:Glacierfairy|Glacierfairy]] 01:42, 5 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::No,侯爵 is a direct copy of the Chinese nobility system and is translated as Marquis, not Prince. Prince as in sons of a king are 王子. Princes as in independent rulers of a principality are translated as 王, and "king" is a more appropriate translation. Neither of these describe the rank of 侯爵 which is the 2nd highest noble title, a step below 公爵. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 02:18, 6 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:: This topic concerns German, Japanese and English. It have nothing to do with Chinese in the first place. I may give you another example: "Fürst zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst" has been translated ホーエンローエ=シリングスフュルスト侯爵 in Japanese, and Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst in English. That's why I say "侯爵" should be translated "Prince" in English. <br />
<br />
:: The German ''Dukes'' (''Herzog'') has dignity = British Prince of Wales, the German ''Feudal Princes'' (''Fürst'') has dignity = British Dukes, the German ''Counts'' (''Graf'') has dignity = British Earls. [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 22:52, 22 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::No, it has everything to do with the Chinese noble system because that is both what Japan's system and the Galactic Empire's is based off of. The Galactic Empire superficial Germanic trappings aside is Imperial China. 侯爵 remains Marquis. Dukes remain 公爵 and the original name and titles show this to be the case such as for Grand Duke Herbert. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 08:53, 23 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::: The Galactic Imperial nobility is adapted from Germanic one. In the original novel, Annerose's title is clearly written in Katakana グラフィン・フォン・グリューネワルト (Gräfin von Grünewald) in Chapter 3 act II. It is the original proof that nobility system in LOGH is the Germanic one, not Chinese. Now let's talk about Grand Duke (大公), this one is also slightly mistranslated. 大公 can be translated both Grand Duke and Archduke, but the "Archduke" will be more accurate in this case, because in the Habsburg's Holy Roman Imperial court, sons of Kaisers held this title. [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 14:46, 23 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::::It still shows that 公爵 is Duke which is what you tried to contest, which is wrong. Quibbling over Archduke vs Grand Duke is also pointless as the two terms are synonymous but Herbert is clearly titled as Grand Duke in the hard coded original subs so that is what it will remain. The current titles stand and that is final. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 19:49, 23 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::: I'm not contesting anything about Grand Duke, this one is just my point of view. As you said, the original wrote Grand Duke, then it must be so.<br />
<br />
:::: Back to the main topic, you keep ignoring the importiant points and keep pressing you own assumption about your Chinese things, which lack of ORIGINAL SOURCE. You avoided mention about the fact that "Fürst" has been translated "侯爵" and "Prince", and ingnoring the fact that Annerose's title is written "Gräfin" in Katanaka. I don't mind if you will keep proposing about the Chinese, but at least say something about those facts. [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 13:18, 25 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::::侯爵 translates as Marquis (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marquess). Gräfin or Graf translates as 伯爵 in both Chinese and Japanese systems or Count (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Count) which is a middling rank below 侯, which has always historically in Asia been a high rank, 2nd only to Duke. Littenheim's rivalry and resentment towards Braunschweig is due to being 2nd highest noble in the Empire, not by being some mediocre middle rank noble . That is also part of the reason why Braunschweig and Flegel resent Reinhard and his sister. They resent them being granted what in their view is a ridiculously high rank, i.e. the 2nd highest. That is lost if it is 伯爵. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 22:00, 25 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::::: I have already said that German Marquis (Markgraf) and German Count (Graf) are equal ranks in the Germanic system. German Fürst and British Marquis are using the same Kanji 侯爵, but its dignity is not equal. <br />
<br />
:::::{| class="wikitable"<br />
! Dignity <br />
! Non-Germanic titles<br />
! Germanic titles<br />
|-<br />
! 1<br />
| Prince of... (公) || Herzog (公爵)<br />
|-<br />
! 2<br />
| Duke (公爵) || Fürst (侯爵)<br />
|-<br />
! 3<br />
| Marquis (侯爵) || -<br />
|-<br />
! 4<br />
| Earl (伯爵) || Graf (伯爵) (including Markgraf-Marquis 辺境伯)<br />
|-<br />
! 5<br />
| Viscount (子爵) || -<br />
|-<br />
! 6<br />
| Baron (男爵) || Freiherr (男爵)<br />
|}<br />
<br />
::::: As you can see, whether Non-Germanic or Germanic. 侯爵 is still one level below 公爵 (Duke). [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 15:35, 26 November 2021 (UTC)</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/OrlauOrlau2021-11-25T21:47:40Z<p>WalkerEmp: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{cleanup}}<br />
{{infobox/character<br />
| image-top = Orlau (DVD-CA).jpg<br />
| caption-top = Commodore '''Orlau''' ({{d|798|uc}})<br />
| gender = Male<br />
| affiliation = [[Galactic Empire]]<br />
| rank = {{rank|imperial|rear admiral}}<br />
| flagship = <br />
| status = <br />
| died = <br />
| actor = [[Kaji Tetsuya]]<br />
}}<br />
'''Orlau''' (Japanese: '''オルラウ''') was an [[Galactic Empire|Imperial]] {{rank|imperial|rear admiral|lc}} who served under [[Neidhart Müller]].<br />
<br />
==Appendices==<br />
===Appearances===<br />
<div class="appear"><br />
*{{logh}}<br />
**{{e|034}}<br />
**{{e|071}}<br />
**{{e|084}}<br />
</div><br />
<br />
===Name variations===<br />
*'''Orlau''' (<abbr title="Digital Versatile Disc">DVD</abbr> subtitles)<br />
*'''Olrau''' (<abbr title="LaserDisc">LD</abbr> subtitles)<br />
*'''オルラウ''' (<abbr title="LaserDisc">LD</abbr><span class="lr-1px">/</span><abbr title="Digital Versatile Disc">DVD</abbr> subtitles — Japanese)<br />
<br />
{{navbox/soldiers/Empire|collapsed}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Soldiers]]<br />
[[Category:Imperial citizens]]</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Talk:NobilityTalk:Nobility2021-11-25T13:32:39Z<p>WalkerEmp: /* Imperial noble ranks */</p>
<hr />
<div>==Separate or combined?==<br />
Are we going to have separate articles for these different factions of the nobility? We have one for [[High Nobles]], but i had figured we could just redirect that to this page, the same way we redirect Fezzan Corridor to Navigation corridors? <span style="color: #bbb">&nbsp;♥</span>&nbsp;[[User:kine|<span style="color: #359fef !important;">kine</span>]] @ 14:18, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::?? I brought this up earlier. I thought you had moved things into different pages? Originally, High nobles/nobles/reformer nobles were all one page. [[User:Canary|Canary]] 14:27, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::Did i really? Maybe i was drunk :(<br />
<br />
:::Do you prefer them all together as well then? <span style="color: #bbb">&nbsp;♥</span>&nbsp;[[User:kine|<span style="color: #359fef !important;">kine</span>]] @ 14:46, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::::Yeah, I prefer them merged. I think, in general, logh is such a rich setting that we are going to have (and already have) a whole lot of pages, so the simpler we keep things, the better.<br />
<br />
== Military service ==<br />
<br />
I vaguely recall this was either mentioned in an episode or written somewhere, but I don't remember where. Were the nobility exempt from military conscription that the common Imperial citizens had to do? —[[User:Goldenbaum Loyalist|Goldenbaum Loyalist]] 22:13, 19 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:In {{Hbshbl|8}}, Kircheis talks to Martin Bufholtz, and that is where the information about the mandatory military service of 2 years for commoners comes from. I cannot offhand recall a specific source explicitly saying the nobles were exempt. Things like Grand Duke Herbert including drinking friends among his military advisors suggest however 2 possibilities. The first is that maybe nobles were exempt from the mandatory service. Grand Duke Herbert's initial enjoyment of playing "soldier" seems to suggest this first option though it is not conclusive evidence. The second is they were not exempt but they got safe and easy jobs far from the front lines. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 01:47, 20 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
==Princes==<br />
<br />
Just as a note, and my own nitpick with the subs, the title of "Prince" (皇子, as in son of an emperor) actually is never used in the series to the best of my knowledge. The title Crown Prince (皇太子) does get used for the designated heir. The only known instances of the title Grand Duke (大公) all seem to be held by sons of the Kaiser. Grand Duke Herbert, Grand Duke Clementz, Grand Duke (in addition to his Crown Prince title) Richard etc... I wonder whether it is a ''de facto'' title for any princes in the Goldenbaum dynasty. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 03:44, 14 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Perhaps. For example, in East Slavic history, the title of Grand Duke and Prince/Grand Prince are often used interchangeably. In the Russian Empire the sons of the the Tsar were given the title of ''Veliky Knyaz'', which can be translated as either Grand Duke or Grand Prince (although the latter is more accurate). —[[User:Goldenbaum Loyalist|Goldenbaum Loyalist]] 17:02, 14 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Imperial noble ranks ==<br />
<br />
Adccording to the German nobility system,<br />
<br />
侯爵 (''koushaku'') must be translated to '''Fürst''' (Prince of...). It cannot be traslated as '''Markgraf''' (Marquis) which is just a form of '''Graf''' (Count). There is no tradition of promoting a Graf to a Markgraf (because it is the equal rank). If some Graf to be promoted, they will get promotion to Fürst, like German chancellor Otto von Bismarck.<br />
<br />
Also in Japanese language, they have translated Fürst as 侯爵. For example, "Fürst von Bismarck" has been translated as ビスマルク侯爵.<br>Someone claimed that 侯爵 can be translated as Markgraf, that is wrong. The Japanese has translated Markgraf as 辺境伯 (''henkyou-haku''). [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 09:40, 31 October 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:That might be true in German, but in Gineipaedia, English naming conventions take precedence over German, so 侯爵 would be translated as "Marquis" and not "Fürst". [[User:Glacierfairy|Glacierfairy]] 05:51, 1 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: Even the Gineipaedia take English naming over German, 侯爵 still should be translated as "Prince" (Fürst) not "Marquis" (Markgraf). [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 19:09, 1 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::No, what I meant was that English translations of the Japanese titles take precedence over German translations of the Japanese titles. [[User:Glacierfairy|Glacierfairy]] 01:42, 5 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::No,侯爵 is a direct copy of the Chinese nobility system and is translated as Marquis, not Prince. Prince as in sons of a king are 王子. Princes as in independent rulers of a principality are translated as 王, and "king" is a more appropriate translation. Neither of these describe the rank of 侯爵 which is the 2nd highest noble title, a step below 公爵. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 02:18, 6 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:: This topic concerns German, Japanese and English. It have nothing to do with Chinese in the first place. I may give you another example: "Fürst zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst" has been translated ホーエンローエ=シリングスフュルスト侯爵 in Japanese, and Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst in English. That's why I say "侯爵" should be translated "Prince" in English. <br />
<br />
:: The German ''Dukes'' (''Herzog'') has dignity = British Prince of Wales, the German ''Feudal Princes'' (''Fürst'') has dignity = British Dukes, the German ''Counts'' (''Graf'') has dignity = British Earls. [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 22:52, 22 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::No, it has everything to do with the Chinese noble system because that is both what Japan's system and the Galactic Empire's is based off of. The Galactic Empire superficial Germanic trappings aside is Imperial China. 侯爵 remains Marquis. Dukes remain 公爵 and the original name and titles show this to be the case such as for Grand Duke Herbert. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 08:53, 23 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::: The Galactic Imperial nobility is adapted from Germanic one. In the original novel, Annerose's title is clearly written in Katakana グラフィン・フォン・グリューネワルト (Gräfin von Grünewald) in Chapter 3 act II. It is the original proof that nobility system in LOGH is the Germanic one, not Chinese. Now let's talk about Grand Duke (大公), this one is also slightly mistranslated. 大公 can be translated both Grand Duke and Archduke, but the "Archduke" will be more accurate in this case, because in the Habsburg's Holy Roman Imperial court, sons of Kaisers held this title. [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 14:46, 23 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::::It still shows that 公爵 is Duke which is what you tried to contest, which is wrong. Quibbling over Archduke vs Grand Duke is also pointless as the two terms are synonymous but Herbert is clearly titled as Grand Duke in the hard coded original subs so that is what it will remain. The current titles stand and that is final. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 19:49, 23 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::: I'm not contesting anything about Grand Duke, this one is just my point of view. As you said, the original wrote Grand Duke, then it must be so.<br />
<br />
:::: Back to the main topic, you keep ignoring the importiant points and keep pressing you own assumption about your Chinese things, which lack of ORIGINAL SOURCE. You avoided mention about the fact that "Fürst" has been translated "侯爵" and "Prince", and ingnoring the fact that Annerose's title is written "Gräfin" in Katanaka. I don't mind if you will keep proposing about the Chinese, but at least say something about those facts. [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 13:18, 25 November 2021 (UTC)</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Talk:NobilityTalk:Nobility2021-11-25T13:32:13Z<p>WalkerEmp: /* Imperial noble ranks */</p>
<hr />
<div>==Separate or combined?==<br />
Are we going to have separate articles for these different factions of the nobility? We have one for [[High Nobles]], but i had figured we could just redirect that to this page, the same way we redirect Fezzan Corridor to Navigation corridors? <span style="color: #bbb">&nbsp;♥</span>&nbsp;[[User:kine|<span style="color: #359fef !important;">kine</span>]] @ 14:18, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::?? I brought this up earlier. I thought you had moved things into different pages? Originally, High nobles/nobles/reformer nobles were all one page. [[User:Canary|Canary]] 14:27, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::Did i really? Maybe i was drunk :(<br />
<br />
:::Do you prefer them all together as well then? <span style="color: #bbb">&nbsp;♥</span>&nbsp;[[User:kine|<span style="color: #359fef !important;">kine</span>]] @ 14:46, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::::Yeah, I prefer them merged. I think, in general, logh is such a rich setting that we are going to have (and already have) a whole lot of pages, so the simpler we keep things, the better.<br />
<br />
== Military service ==<br />
<br />
I vaguely recall this was either mentioned in an episode or written somewhere, but I don't remember where. Were the nobility exempt from military conscription that the common Imperial citizens had to do? —[[User:Goldenbaum Loyalist|Goldenbaum Loyalist]] 22:13, 19 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:In {{Hbshbl|8}}, Kircheis talks to Martin Bufholtz, and that is where the information about the mandatory military service of 2 years for commoners comes from. I cannot offhand recall a specific source explicitly saying the nobles were exempt. Things like Grand Duke Herbert including drinking friends among his military advisors suggest however 2 possibilities. The first is that maybe nobles were exempt from the mandatory service. Grand Duke Herbert's initial enjoyment of playing "soldier" seems to suggest this first option though it is not conclusive evidence. The second is they were not exempt but they got safe and easy jobs far from the front lines. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 01:47, 20 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
==Princes==<br />
<br />
Just as a note, and my own nitpick with the subs, the title of "Prince" (皇子, as in son of an emperor) actually is never used in the series to the best of my knowledge. The title Crown Prince (皇太子) does get used for the designated heir. The only known instances of the title Grand Duke (大公) all seem to be held by sons of the Kaiser. Grand Duke Herbert, Grand Duke Clementz, Grand Duke (in addition to his Crown Prince title) Richard etc... I wonder whether it is a ''de facto'' title for any princes in the Goldenbaum dynasty. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 03:44, 14 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Perhaps. For example, in East Slavic history, the title of Grand Duke and Prince/Grand Prince are often used interchangeably. In the Russian Empire the sons of the the Tsar were given the title of ''Veliky Knyaz'', which can be translated as either Grand Duke or Grand Prince (although the latter is more accurate). —[[User:Goldenbaum Loyalist|Goldenbaum Loyalist]] 17:02, 14 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Imperial noble ranks ==<br />
<br />
Adccording to the German nobility system,<br />
<br />
侯爵 (''koushaku'') must be translated to '''Fürst''' (Prince of...). It cannot be traslated as '''Markgraf''' (Marquis) which is just a form of '''Graf''' (Count). There is no tradition of promoting a Graf to a Markgraf (because it is the equal rank). If some Graf to be promoted, they will get promotion to Fürst, like German chancellor Otto von Bismarck.<br />
<br />
Also in Japanese language, they have translated Fürst as 侯爵. For example, "Fürst von Bismarck" has been translated as ビスマルク侯爵.<br>Someone claimed that 侯爵 can be translated as Markgraf, that is wrong. The Japanese has translated Markgraf as 辺境伯 (''henkyou-haku''). [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 09:40, 31 October 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:That might be true in German, but in Gineipaedia, English naming conventions take precedence over German, so 侯爵 would be translated as "Marquis" and not "Fürst". [[User:Glacierfairy|Glacierfairy]] 05:51, 1 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: Even the Gineipaedia take English naming over German, 侯爵 still should be translated as "Prince" (Fürst) not "Marquis" (Markgraf). [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 19:09, 1 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::No, what I meant was that English translations of the Japanese titles take precedence over German translations of the Japanese titles. [[User:Glacierfairy|Glacierfairy]] 01:42, 5 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::No,侯爵 is a direct copy of the Chinese nobility system and is translated as Marquis, not Prince. Prince as in sons of a king are 王子. Princes as in independent rulers of a principality are translated as 王, and "king" is a more appropriate translation. Neither of these describe the rank of 侯爵 which is the 2nd highest noble title, a step below 公爵. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 02:18, 6 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:: This topic concerns German, Japanese and English. It have nothing to do with Chinese in the first place. I may give you another example: "Fürst zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst" has been translated ホーエンローエ=シリングスフュルスト侯爵 in Japanese, and Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst in English. That's why I say "侯爵" should be translated "Prince" in English. <br />
<br />
:: The German ''Dukes'' (''Herzog'') has dignity = British Prince of Wales, the German ''Feudal Princes'' (''Fürst'') has dignity = British Dukes, the German ''Counts'' (''Graf'') has dignity = British Earls. [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 22:52, 22 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::No, it has everything to do with the Chinese noble system because that is both what Japan's system and the Galactic Empire's is based off of. The Galactic Empire superficial Germanic trappings aside is Imperial China. 侯爵 remains Marquis. Dukes remain 公爵 and the original name and titles show this to be the case such as for Grand Duke Herbert. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 08:53, 23 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::: The Galactic Imperial nobility is adapted from Germanic one. In the original novel, Annerose's title is clearly written in Katakana グラフィン・フォン・グリューネワルト (Gräfin von Grünewald) in Chapter 3 act II. It is the original proof that nobility system in LOGH is the Germanic one, not Chinese. Now let's talk about Grand Duke (大公), this one is also slightly mistranslated. 大公 can be translated both Grand Duke and Archduke, but the "Archduke" will be more accurate in this case, because in the Habsburg's Holy Roman Imperial court, sons of Kaisers held this title. [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 14:46, 23 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::::It still shows that 公爵 is Duke which is what you tried to contest, which is wrong. Quibbling over Archduke vs Grand Duke is also pointless as the two terms are synonymous but Herbert is clearly titled as Grand Duke in the hard coded original subs so that is what it will remain. The current titles stand and that is final. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 19:49, 23 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::: I'm not contesting anything about Grand Duke, this one is just my point of view. As you said, the original wtore Grand Duke, then it must be so.<br />
<br />
:::: Back to the main topic, you keep ignoring the importiant points and keep pressing you own assumption about your Chinese things, which lack of ORIGINAL SOURCE. You avoided mention about the fact that "Fürst" has been translated "侯爵" and "Prince", and ingnoring the fact that Annerose's title is written "Gräfin" in Katanaka. I don't mind if you will keep proposing about the Chinese, but at least say something about those facts. [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 13:18, 25 November 2021 (UTC)</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Talk:NobilityTalk:Nobility2021-11-25T13:32:01Z<p>WalkerEmp: </p>
<hr />
<div>==Separate or combined?==<br />
Are we going to have separate articles for these different factions of the nobility? We have one for [[High Nobles]], but i had figured we could just redirect that to this page, the same way we redirect Fezzan Corridor to Navigation corridors? <span style="color: #bbb">&nbsp;♥</span>&nbsp;[[User:kine|<span style="color: #359fef !important;">kine</span>]] @ 14:18, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::?? I brought this up earlier. I thought you had moved things into different pages? Originally, High nobles/nobles/reformer nobles were all one page. [[User:Canary|Canary]] 14:27, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::Did i really? Maybe i was drunk :(<br />
<br />
:::Do you prefer them all together as well then? <span style="color: #bbb">&nbsp;♥</span>&nbsp;[[User:kine|<span style="color: #359fef !important;">kine</span>]] @ 14:46, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::::Yeah, I prefer them merged. I think, in general, logh is such a rich setting that we are going to have (and already have) a whole lot of pages, so the simpler we keep things, the better.<br />
<br />
== Military service ==<br />
<br />
I vaguely recall this was either mentioned in an episode or written somewhere, but I don't remember where. Were the nobility exempt from military conscription that the common Imperial citizens had to do? —[[User:Goldenbaum Loyalist|Goldenbaum Loyalist]] 22:13, 19 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:In {{Hbshbl|8}}, Kircheis talks to Martin Bufholtz, and that is where the information about the mandatory military service of 2 years for commoners comes from. I cannot offhand recall a specific source explicitly saying the nobles were exempt. Things like Grand Duke Herbert including drinking friends among his military advisors suggest however 2 possibilities. The first is that maybe nobles were exempt from the mandatory service. Grand Duke Herbert's initial enjoyment of playing "soldier" seems to suggest this first option though it is not conclusive evidence. The second is they were not exempt but they got safe and easy jobs far from the front lines. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 01:47, 20 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
==Princes==<br />
<br />
Just as a note, and my own nitpick with the subs, the title of "Prince" (皇子, as in son of an emperor) actually is never used in the series to the best of my knowledge. The title Crown Prince (皇太子) does get used for the designated heir. The only known instances of the title Grand Duke (大公) all seem to be held by sons of the Kaiser. Grand Duke Herbert, Grand Duke Clementz, Grand Duke (in addition to his Crown Prince title) Richard etc... I wonder whether it is a ''de facto'' title for any princes in the Goldenbaum dynasty. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 03:44, 14 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Perhaps. For example, in East Slavic history, the title of Grand Duke and Prince/Grand Prince are often used interchangeably. In the Russian Empire the sons of the the Tsar were given the title of ''Veliky Knyaz'', which can be translated as either Grand Duke or Grand Prince (although the latter is more accurate). —[[User:Goldenbaum Loyalist|Goldenbaum Loyalist]] 17:02, 14 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Imperial noble ranks ==<br />
<br />
Adccording to the German nobility system,<br />
<br />
侯爵 (''koushaku'') must be translated to '''Fürst''' (Prince of...). It cannot be traslated as '''Markgraf''' (Marquis) which is just a form of '''Graf''' (Count). There is no tradition of promoting a Graf to a Markgraf (because it is the equal rank). If some Graf to be promoted, they will get promotion to Fürst, like German chancellor Otto von Bismarck.<br />
<br />
Also in Japanese language, they have translated Fürst as 侯爵. For example, "Fürst von Bismarck" has been translated as ビスマルク侯爵.<br>Someone claimed that 侯爵 can be translated as Markgraf, that is wrong. The Japanese has translated Markgraf as 辺境伯 (''henkyou-haku''). [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 09:40, 31 October 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:That might be true in German, but in Gineipaedia, English naming conventions take precedence over German, so 侯爵 would be translated as "Marquis" and not "Fürst". [[User:Glacierfairy|Glacierfairy]] 05:51, 1 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: Even the Gineipaedia take English naming over German, 侯爵 still should be translated as "Prince" (Fürst) not "Marquis" (Markgraf). [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 19:09, 1 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::No, what I meant was that English translations of the Japanese titles take precedence over German translations of the Japanese titles. [[User:Glacierfairy|Glacierfairy]] 01:42, 5 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::No,侯爵 is a direct copy of the Chinese nobility system and is translated as Marquis, not Prince. Prince as in sons of a king are 王子. Princes as in independent rulers of a principality are translated as 王, and "king" is a more appropriate translation. Neither of these describe the rank of 侯爵 which is the 2nd highest noble title, a step below 公爵. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 02:18, 6 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:: This topic concerns German, Japanese and English. It have nothing to do with Chinese in the first place. I may give you another example: "Fürst zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst" has been translated ホーエンローエ=シリングスフュルスト侯爵 in Japanese, and Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst in English. That's why I say "侯爵" should be translated "Prince" in English. <br />
<br />
:: The German ''Dukes'' (''Herzog'') has dignity = British Prince of Wales, the German ''Feudal Princes'' (''Fürst'') has dignity = British Dukes, the German ''Counts'' (''Graf'') has dignity = British Earls. [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 22:52, 22 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::No, it has everything to do with the Chinese noble system because that is both what Japan's system and the Galactic Empire's is based off of. The Galactic Empire superficial Germanic trappings aside is Imperial China. 侯爵 remains Marquis. Dukes remain 公爵 and the original name and titles show this to be the case such as for Grand Duke Herbert. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 08:53, 23 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::: The Galactic Imperial nobility is adapted from Germanic one. In the original novel, Annerose's title is clearly written in Katakana グラフィン・フォン・グリューネワルト (Gräfin von Grünewald) in Chapter 3 act II. It is the original proof that nobility system in LOGH is the Germanic one, not Chinese. Now let's talk about Grand Duke (大公), this one is also slightly mistranslated. 大公 can be translated both Grand Duke and Archduke, but the "Archduke" will be more accurate in this case, because in the Habsburg's Holy Roman Imperial court, sons of Kaisers held this title. [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 14:46, 23 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::::It still shows that 公爵 is Duke which is what you tried to contest, which is wrong. Quibbling over Archduke vs Grand Duke is also pointless as the two terms are synonymous but Herbert is clearly titled as Grand Duke in the hard coded original subs so that is what it will remain. The current titles stand and that is final. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 19:49, 23 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::: I'm not contesting anything about Grand Duke, this one is just my point of view. As you said, the original wtore Grand Duke, then it must be so.<br />
<br />
Back to the main topic, you keep ignoring the importiant points and keep pressing you own assumption about your Chinese things, which lack of ORIGINAL SOURCE. You avoided mention about the fact that "Fürst" has been translated "侯爵" and "Prince", and ingnoring the fact that Annerose's title is written "Gräfin" in Katanaka. I don't mind if you will keep proposing about the Chinese, but at least say something about those facts. [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 13:18, 25 November 2021 (UTC)</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Talk:NobilityTalk:Nobility2021-11-25T13:18:26Z<p>WalkerEmp: </p>
<hr />
<div>==Separate or combined?==<br />
Are we going to have separate articles for these different factions of the nobility? We have one for [[High Nobles]], but i had figured we could just redirect that to this page, the same way we redirect Fezzan Corridor to Navigation corridors? <span style="color: #bbb">&nbsp;♥</span>&nbsp;[[User:kine|<span style="color: #359fef !important;">kine</span>]] @ 14:18, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::?? I brought this up earlier. I thought you had moved things into different pages? Originally, High nobles/nobles/reformer nobles were all one page. [[User:Canary|Canary]] 14:27, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::Did i really? Maybe i was drunk :(<br />
<br />
:::Do you prefer them all together as well then? <span style="color: #bbb">&nbsp;♥</span>&nbsp;[[User:kine|<span style="color: #359fef !important;">kine</span>]] @ 14:46, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::::Yeah, I prefer them merged. I think, in general, logh is such a rich setting that we are going to have (and already have) a whole lot of pages, so the simpler we keep things, the better.<br />
<br />
== Military service ==<br />
<br />
I vaguely recall this was either mentioned in an episode or written somewhere, but I don't remember where. Were the nobility exempt from military conscription that the common Imperial citizens had to do? —[[User:Goldenbaum Loyalist|Goldenbaum Loyalist]] 22:13, 19 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:In {{Hbshbl|8}}, Kircheis talks to Martin Bufholtz, and that is where the information about the mandatory military service of 2 years for commoners comes from. I cannot offhand recall a specific source explicitly saying the nobles were exempt. Things like Grand Duke Herbert including drinking friends among his military advisors suggest however 2 possibilities. The first is that maybe nobles were exempt from the mandatory service. Grand Duke Herbert's initial enjoyment of playing "soldier" seems to suggest this first option though it is not conclusive evidence. The second is they were not exempt but they got safe and easy jobs far from the front lines. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 01:47, 20 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
==Princes==<br />
<br />
Just as a note, and my own nitpick with the subs, the title of "Prince" (皇子, as in son of an emperor) actually is never used in the series to the best of my knowledge. The title Crown Prince (皇太子) does get used for the designated heir. The only known instances of the title Grand Duke (大公) all seem to be held by sons of the Kaiser. Grand Duke Herbert, Grand Duke Clementz, Grand Duke (in addition to his Crown Prince title) Richard etc... I wonder whether it is a ''de facto'' title for any princes in the Goldenbaum dynasty. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 03:44, 14 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Perhaps. For example, in East Slavic history, the title of Grand Duke and Prince/Grand Prince are often used interchangeably. In the Russian Empire the sons of the the Tsar were given the title of ''Veliky Knyaz'', which can be translated as either Grand Duke or Grand Prince (although the latter is more accurate). —[[User:Goldenbaum Loyalist|Goldenbaum Loyalist]] 17:02, 14 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Imperial noble ranks ==<br />
<br />
Adccording to the German nobility system,<br />
<br />
侯爵 (''koushaku'') must be translated to '''Fürst''' (Prince of...). It cannot be traslated as '''Markgraf''' (Marquis) which is just a form of '''Graf''' (Count). There is no tradition of promoting a Graf to a Markgraf (because it is the equal rank). If some Graf to be promoted, they will get promotion to Fürst, like German chancellor Otto von Bismarck.<br />
<br />
Also in Japanese language, they have translated Fürst as 侯爵. For example, "Fürst von Bismarck" has been translated as ビスマルク侯爵.<br>Someone claimed that 侯爵 can be translated as Markgraf, that is wrong. The Japanese has translated Markgraf as 辺境伯 (''henkyou-haku''). [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 09:40, 31 October 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:That might be true in German, but in Gineipaedia, English naming conventions take precedence over German, so 侯爵 would be translated as "Marquis" and not "Fürst". [[User:Glacierfairy|Glacierfairy]] 05:51, 1 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: Even the Gineipaedia take English naming over German, 侯爵 still should be translated as "Prince" (Fürst) not "Marquis" (Markgraf). [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 19:09, 1 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::No, what I meant was that English translations of the Japanese titles take precedence over German translations of the Japanese titles. [[User:Glacierfairy|Glacierfairy]] 01:42, 5 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::No,侯爵 is a direct copy of the Chinese nobility system and is translated as Marquis, not Prince. Prince as in sons of a king are 王子. Princes as in independent rulers of a principality are translated as 王, and "king" is a more appropriate translation. Neither of these describe the rank of 侯爵 which is the 2nd highest noble title, a step below 公爵. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 02:18, 6 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:: This topic concerns German, Japanese and English. It have nothing to do with Chinese in the first place. I may give you another example: "Fürst zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst" has been translated ホーエンローエ=シリングスフュルスト侯爵 in Japanese, and Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst in English. That's why I say "侯爵" should be translated "Prince" in English. <br />
<br />
:: The German ''Dukes'' (''Herzog'') has dignity = British Prince of Wales, the German ''Feudal Princes'' (''Fürst'') has dignity = British Dukes, the German ''Counts'' (''Graf'') has dignity = British Earls. [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 22:52, 22 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::No, it has everything to do with the Chinese noble system because that is both what Japan's system and the Galactic Empire's is based off of. The Galactic Empire superficial Germanic trappings aside is Imperial China. 侯爵 remains Marquis. Dukes remain 公爵 and the original name and titles show this to be the case such as for Grand Duke Herbert. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 08:53, 23 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::: The Galactic Imperial nobility is adapted from Germanic one. In the original novel, Annerose's title is clearly written in Katakana グラフィン・フォン・グリューネワルト (Gräfin von Grünewald) in Chapter 3 act II. It is the original proof that nobility system in LOGH is the Germanic one, not Chinese. Now let's talk about Grand Duke (大公), this one is also slightly mistranslated. 大公 can be translated both Grand Duke and Archduke, but the "Archduke" will be more accurate in this case, because in the Habsburg's Holy Roman Imperial court, sons of Kaisers held this title. [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 14:46, 23 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::::It still shows that 公爵 is Duke which is what you tried to contest, which is wrong. Quibbling over Archduke vs Grand Duke is also pointless as the two terms are synonymous but Herbert is clearly titled as Grand Duke in the hard coded original subs so that is what it will remain. The current titles stand and that is final. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 19:49, 23 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::: You keep ignoring the importiant points and keep pressing you own assumption about your Chinese things, which lack of ORIGINAL SOURCE. You avoided mention about the fact that "Fürst" has been translated "侯爵" and "Prince", and ingnoring the fact that Annerose's title is written "Gräfin" in Katanaka. I don't mind if you will keep proposing about the Chinese, but at least say something about those facts. [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 13:18, 25 November 2021 (UTC)</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Talk:NobilityTalk:Nobility2021-11-23T14:57:08Z<p>WalkerEmp: /* Imperial noble ranks */</p>
<hr />
<div>==Separate or combined?==<br />
Are we going to have separate articles for these different factions of the nobility? We have one for [[High Nobles]], but i had figured we could just redirect that to this page, the same way we redirect Fezzan Corridor to Navigation corridors? <span style="color: #bbb">&nbsp;♥</span>&nbsp;[[User:kine|<span style="color: #359fef !important;">kine</span>]] @ 14:18, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::?? I brought this up earlier. I thought you had moved things into different pages? Originally, High nobles/nobles/reformer nobles were all one page. [[User:Canary|Canary]] 14:27, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::Did i really? Maybe i was drunk :(<br />
<br />
:::Do you prefer them all together as well then? <span style="color: #bbb">&nbsp;♥</span>&nbsp;[[User:kine|<span style="color: #359fef !important;">kine</span>]] @ 14:46, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::::Yeah, I prefer them merged. I think, in general, logh is such a rich setting that we are going to have (and already have) a whole lot of pages, so the simpler we keep things, the better.<br />
<br />
== Military service ==<br />
<br />
I vaguely recall this was either mentioned in an episode or written somewhere, but I don't remember where. Were the nobility exempt from military conscription that the common Imperial citizens had to do? —[[User:Goldenbaum Loyalist|Goldenbaum Loyalist]] 22:13, 19 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:In {{Hbshbl|8}}, Kircheis talks to Martin Bufholtz, and that is where the information about the mandatory military service of 2 years for commoners comes from. I cannot offhand recall a specific source explicitly saying the nobles were exempt. Things like Grand Duke Herbert including drinking friends among his military advisors suggest however 2 possibilities. The first is that maybe nobles were exempt from the mandatory service. Grand Duke Herbert's initial enjoyment of playing "soldier" seems to suggest this first option though it is not conclusive evidence. The second is they were not exempt but they got safe and easy jobs far from the front lines. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 01:47, 20 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
==Princes==<br />
<br />
Just as a note, and my own nitpick with the subs, the title of "Prince" (皇子, as in son of an emperor) actually is never used in the series to the best of my knowledge. The title Crown Prince (皇太子) does get used for the designated heir. The only known instances of the title Grand Duke (大公) all seem to be held by sons of the Kaiser. Grand Duke Herbert, Grand Duke Clementz, Grand Duke (in addition to his Crown Prince title) Richard etc... I wonder whether it is a ''de facto'' title for any princes in the Goldenbaum dynasty. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 03:44, 14 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Perhaps. For example, in East Slavic history, the title of Grand Duke and Prince/Grand Prince are often used interchangeably. In the Russian Empire the sons of the the Tsar were given the title of ''Veliky Knyaz'', which can be translated as either Grand Duke or Grand Prince (although the latter is more accurate). —[[User:Goldenbaum Loyalist|Goldenbaum Loyalist]] 17:02, 14 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Imperial noble ranks ==<br />
<br />
Adccording to the German nobility system,<br />
<br />
侯爵 (''koushaku'') must be translated to '''Fürst''' (Prince of...). It cannot be traslated as '''Markgraf''' (Marquis) which is just a form of '''Graf''' (Count). There is no tradition of promoting a Graf to a Markgraf (because it is the equal rank). If some Graf to be promoted, they will get promotion to Fürst, like German chancellor Otto von Bismarck.<br />
<br />
Also in Japanese language, they have translated Fürst as 侯爵. For example, "Fürst von Bismarck" has been translated as ビスマルク侯爵.<br>Someone claimed that 侯爵 can be translated as Markgraf, that is wrong. The Japanese has translated Markgraf as 辺境伯 (''henkyou-haku''). [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 09:40, 31 October 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:That might be true in German, but in Gineipaedia, English naming conventions take precedence over German, so 侯爵 would be translated as "Marquis" and not "Fürst". [[User:Glacierfairy|Glacierfairy]] 05:51, 1 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: Even the Gineipaedia take English naming over German, 侯爵 still should be translated as "Prince" (Fürst) not "Marquis" (Markgraf). [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 19:09, 1 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::No, what I meant was that English translations of the Japanese titles take precedence over German translations of the Japanese titles. [[User:Glacierfairy|Glacierfairy]] 01:42, 5 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::No,侯爵 is a direct copy of the Chinese nobility system and is translated as Marquis, not Prince. Prince as in sons of a king are 王子. Princes as in independent rulers of a principality are translated as 王, and "king" is a more appropriate translation. Neither of these describe the rank of 侯爵 which is the 2nd highest noble title, a step below 公爵. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 02:18, 6 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:: This topic concerns German, Japanese and English. It have nothing to do with Chinese in the first place. I may give you another example: "Fürst zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst" has been translated ホーエンローエ=シリングスフュルスト侯爵 in Japanese, and Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst in English. That's why I say "侯爵" should be translated "Prince" in English. <br />
<br />
:: The German ''Dukes'' (''Herzog'') has dignity = British Prince of Wales, the German ''Feudal Princes'' (''Fürst'') has dignity = British Dukes, the German ''Counts'' (''Graf'') has dignity = British Earls. [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 22:52, 22 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::No, it has everything to do with the Chinese noble system because that is both what Japan's system and the Galactic Empire's is based off of. The Galactic Empire superficial Germanic trappings aside is Imperial China. 侯爵 remains Marquis. Dukes remain 公爵 and the original name and titles show this to be the case such as for Grand Duke Herbert. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 08:53, 23 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::: The Galactic Imperial nobility is adapted from Germanic one. In the original novel, Annerose's title is clearly written in Katakana グラフィン・フォン・グリューネワルト (Gräfin von Grünewald) in Chapter 3 act II. It is the original proof that nobility system in LOGH is the Germanic one, not Chinese. Now let's talk about Grand Duke (大公), this one is also slightly mistranslated. 大公 can be translated both Grand Duke and Archduke, but the "Archduke" will be more accurate in this case, because in the Habsburg's Holy Roman Imperial court, sons of Kaisers held this title. [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 14:46, 23 November 2021 (UTC)</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/NobilityNobility2021-11-23T14:55:14Z<p>WalkerEmp: /* High Nobles */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[File:High Nobility.jpg|right|300px]]<br />
An aristocratic social class founded by [[Rudolf von Goldenbaum]] in {{d|9|rc}} to serve the [[Galactic Empire]], the nobility held most of the political and economic power in the Empire during the rule of the [[Goldenbaum Dynasty]].<br />
<br />
==High Nobles==<br />
The High Nobility (門閥貴族) was the upper echelon of the Noble social class in the [[Goldenbaum Dynasty]]'s social hierarchy. High Nobles were men and women from the oldest and most powerful noble families in the [[Galactic Empire]]. It was from the High Nobility that most of the Empire's most powerful political leaders hailed from, not because of merit but because of blood.<br />
<br />
Ironically, when [[Rudolf von Goldenbaum]] first established the aristocracy, it was something of a meritocracy: men and women of exceptional ability could, at times, be elevated to noble rank. This provided early Imperial society with a degree of upward social mobility, allowing the culture of the Empire to stay dynamic. Eventually, however, the nobility became a stagnant social class, which could only be inherited through blood. This gradually increased the resentment of the lower classes, and eventually led to the Exodus of [[Arle Heinnesen]], and a rise in republican protestors and social reformers. The High Nobility, however, was ruthless in destroying anything that might endanger its authority.<br />
<br />
In the [[Imperial Civil War]], most of the High Nobility sided with Duke [[Otho von Braunschweig]]. At the end of the civil war, [[Reinhard von Lohengramm]] abolished the privileges of the aristocracy, stripping the nobles who rebelled their titles, positions and property.<br />
<br />
==Low Nobles==<br />
Nobility in name only, low nobles were poor aristocratic families of limited economic means. They did not necessarily own land grants, or hold positions of power within the government. These lower-class nobles were considered something of an embarrassment by the high nobles.<br />
<br />
[[Reinhard von Lohengramm]] was born into the von Müsel family, which had the lowest rank of nobility just one step above commoner status, Imperial Knight.<br />
<br />
==Reformer Nobles==<br />
Ostensibly drawn from both the high and low nobility, reformer nobles were aristocrats who advocated the democratic reform of the [[Empire]] and some, possibly, the abolition of the aristocratic class and the position of Emperor. During the [[Imperial Civil War]], the reformer nobles were persuaded to side with [[Reinhard von Lohengramm]] by [[Hildegarde von Mariendorf]], the head of the Mariendorf family. Eventually, all of the high and lower nobles that sided with the Lohengramm administration kept their aristocratic titles and properties, some even participating in the new Imperial cabinet or as members of the New Imperial Court.<br />
<br />
After Reinhard seized power, most reformer nobles expressed praise for Reinhard's reforms, while others expressed concern over his unwillingness to abolish the [[Goldenbaum Dynasty|Goldenbaum Monarchy]]. Among those were [[Karl Braque]] and [[Eugen Richter]], two former nobles that gave up their titles to serve Reinhard in a reformed government.<br />
<br />
==Noble Ranks==<br />
The known noble ranks in the Empire are (in descending order):<br />
* Grand Duke (Japanese: '''大公'''), this rank was given to princes once they reached adulthood and thus was only given to those directly related to the Kaiser.<br />
* Duke (Japanese: '''公爵''')<br />
* Marquis (Japanese: '''侯爵''')<br />
* Count (Japanese: '''伯爵''') <br />
* Viscount (Japanese: '''子爵''') <br />
* Baron (Japanese: '''男爵''') <br />
* Imperial Knight (Japanese: '''帝国騎士''') or ''Reichsritter'' in German, the lowest noble title, barely above commoner.<br />
<br />
({{logh|009}}, {{hbshbl|02}})<br />
<br />
The rank of Imperial Knight had previously been sold by the Imperial family when in need of funds, but by the time of [[Friedrich IV]], this means of fund raising was not possible as the title was no longer valuable. ([[Legend of Galactic Heroes Gaiden Volume 1: The Star Crusher]]: 'Cobweb')<br />
<br />
[[Category:Nobility| Nobility]]<br />
[[Category:Galactic Empire]]</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Talk:NobilityTalk:Nobility2021-11-23T14:49:50Z<p>WalkerEmp: /* Imperial noble ranks */</p>
<hr />
<div>==Separate or combined?==<br />
Are we going to have separate articles for these different factions of the nobility? We have one for [[High Nobles]], but i had figured we could just redirect that to this page, the same way we redirect Fezzan Corridor to Navigation corridors? <span style="color: #bbb">&nbsp;♥</span>&nbsp;[[User:kine|<span style="color: #359fef !important;">kine</span>]] @ 14:18, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::?? I brought this up earlier. I thought you had moved things into different pages? Originally, High nobles/nobles/reformer nobles were all one page. [[User:Canary|Canary]] 14:27, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::Did i really? Maybe i was drunk :(<br />
<br />
:::Do you prefer them all together as well then? <span style="color: #bbb">&nbsp;♥</span>&nbsp;[[User:kine|<span style="color: #359fef !important;">kine</span>]] @ 14:46, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::::Yeah, I prefer them merged. I think, in general, logh is such a rich setting that we are going to have (and already have) a whole lot of pages, so the simpler we keep things, the better.<br />
<br />
== Military service ==<br />
<br />
I vaguely recall this was either mentioned in an episode or written somewhere, but I don't remember where. Were the nobility exempt from military conscription that the common Imperial citizens had to do? —[[User:Goldenbaum Loyalist|Goldenbaum Loyalist]] 22:13, 19 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:In {{Hbshbl|8}}, Kircheis talks to Martin Bufholtz, and that is where the information about the mandatory military service of 2 years for commoners comes from. I cannot offhand recall a specific source explicitly saying the nobles were exempt. Things like Grand Duke Herbert including drinking friends among his military advisors suggest however 2 possibilities. The first is that maybe nobles were exempt from the mandatory service. Grand Duke Herbert's initial enjoyment of playing "soldier" seems to suggest this first option though it is not conclusive evidence. The second is they were not exempt but they got safe and easy jobs far from the front lines. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 01:47, 20 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
==Princes==<br />
<br />
Just as a note, and my own nitpick with the subs, the title of "Prince" (皇子, as in son of an emperor) actually is never used in the series to the best of my knowledge. The title Crown Prince (皇太子) does get used for the designated heir. The only known instances of the title Grand Duke (大公) all seem to be held by sons of the Kaiser. Grand Duke Herbert, Grand Duke Clementz, Grand Duke (in addition to his Crown Prince title) Richard etc... I wonder whether it is a ''de facto'' title for any princes in the Goldenbaum dynasty. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 03:44, 14 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Perhaps. For example, in East Slavic history, the title of Grand Duke and Prince/Grand Prince are often used interchangeably. In the Russian Empire the sons of the the Tsar were given the title of ''Veliky Knyaz'', which can be translated as either Grand Duke or Grand Prince (although the latter is more accurate). —[[User:Goldenbaum Loyalist|Goldenbaum Loyalist]] 17:02, 14 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Imperial noble ranks ==<br />
<br />
Adccording to the German nobility system,<br />
<br />
侯爵 (''koushaku'') must be translated to '''Fürst''' (Prince of...). It cannot be traslated as '''Markgraf''' (Marquis) which is just a form of '''Graf''' (Count). There is no tradition of promoting a Graf to a Markgraf (because it is the equal rank). If some Graf to be promoted, they will get promotion to Fürst, like German chancellor Otto von Bismarck.<br />
<br />
Also in Japanese language, they have translated Fürst as 侯爵. For example, "Fürst von Bismarck" has been translated as ビスマルク侯爵.<br>Someone claimed that 侯爵 can be translated as Markgraf, that is wrong. The Japanese has translated Markgraf as 辺境伯 (''henkyou-haku''). [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 09:40, 31 October 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:That might be true in German, but in Gineipaedia, English naming conventions take precedence over German, so 侯爵 would be translated as "Marquis" and not "Fürst". [[User:Glacierfairy|Glacierfairy]] 05:51, 1 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: Even the Gineipaedia take English naming over German, 侯爵 still should be translated as "Prince" (Fürst) not "Marquis" (Markgraf). [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 19:09, 1 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::No, what I meant was that English translations of the Japanese titles take precedence over German translations of the Japanese titles. [[User:Glacierfairy|Glacierfairy]] 01:42, 5 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::No,侯爵 is a direct copy of the Chinese nobility system and is translated as Marquis, not Prince. Prince as in sons of a king are 王子. Princes as in independent rulers of a principality are translated as 王, and "king" is a more appropriate translation. Neither of these describe the rank of 侯爵 which is the 2nd highest noble title, a step below 公爵. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 02:18, 6 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:: This topic concerns German, Japanese and English. It have nothing to do with Chinese in the first place. I may give you another example: "Fürst zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst" has been translated ホーエンローエ=シリングスフュルスト侯爵 in Japanese, and Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst in English. That's why I say "侯爵" should be translated "Prince" in English. <br />
<br />
:: The German ''Dukes'' (''Herzog'') has dignity = British Prince of Wales, German ''Feudal Princes'' (''Fürst'') has dignity = British Dukes, The German ''Counts'' (''Graf'') has dignity = British Earls. [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 22:52, 22 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::No, it has everything to do with the Chinese noble system because that is both what Japan's system and the Galactic Empire's is based off of. The Galactic Empire superficial Germanic trappings aside is Imperial China. 侯爵 remains Marquis. Dukes remain 公爵 and the original name and titles show this to be the case such as for Grand Duke Herbert. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 08:53, 23 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::: The Galactic Imperial nobility is adapted from Germanic one. In the original novel, Annerose's title is clearly written in Katakana グラフィン・フォン・グリューネワルト (Gräfin von Grünewald) in Chapter 3 act II. It is the original proof that nobility system in LOGH is the Germanic one, not Chinese. Now let's talk about Grand Duke (大公), this one is also slightly mistranslated. 大公 can be translated both Grand Duke and Archduke, but the "Archduke" will be more accurate in this case, because in the Habsburg's Holy Roman Imperial court, sons of Kaisers held this title. [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 14:46, 23 November 2021 (UTC)</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Talk:NobilityTalk:Nobility2021-11-23T14:46:18Z<p>WalkerEmp: </p>
<hr />
<div>==Separate or combined?==<br />
Are we going to have separate articles for these different factions of the nobility? We have one for [[High Nobles]], but i had figured we could just redirect that to this page, the same way we redirect Fezzan Corridor to Navigation corridors? <span style="color: #bbb">&nbsp;♥</span>&nbsp;[[User:kine|<span style="color: #359fef !important;">kine</span>]] @ 14:18, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::?? I brought this up earlier. I thought you had moved things into different pages? Originally, High nobles/nobles/reformer nobles were all one page. [[User:Canary|Canary]] 14:27, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::Did i really? Maybe i was drunk :(<br />
<br />
:::Do you prefer them all together as well then? <span style="color: #bbb">&nbsp;♥</span>&nbsp;[[User:kine|<span style="color: #359fef !important;">kine</span>]] @ 14:46, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::::Yeah, I prefer them merged. I think, in general, logh is such a rich setting that we are going to have (and already have) a whole lot of pages, so the simpler we keep things, the better.<br />
<br />
== Military service ==<br />
<br />
I vaguely recall this was either mentioned in an episode or written somewhere, but I don't remember where. Were the nobility exempt from military conscription that the common Imperial citizens had to do? —[[User:Goldenbaum Loyalist|Goldenbaum Loyalist]] 22:13, 19 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:In {{Hbshbl|8}}, Kircheis talks to Martin Bufholtz, and that is where the information about the mandatory military service of 2 years for commoners comes from. I cannot offhand recall a specific source explicitly saying the nobles were exempt. Things like Grand Duke Herbert including drinking friends among his military advisors suggest however 2 possibilities. The first is that maybe nobles were exempt from the mandatory service. Grand Duke Herbert's initial enjoyment of playing "soldier" seems to suggest this first option though it is not conclusive evidence. The second is they were not exempt but they got safe and easy jobs far from the front lines. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 01:47, 20 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
==Princes==<br />
<br />
Just as a note, and my own nitpick with the subs, the title of "Prince" (皇子, as in son of an emperor) actually is never used in the series to the best of my knowledge. The title Crown Prince (皇太子) does get used for the designated heir. The only known instances of the title Grand Duke (大公) all seem to be held by sons of the Kaiser. Grand Duke Herbert, Grand Duke Clementz, Grand Duke (in addition to his Crown Prince title) Richard etc... I wonder whether it is a ''de facto'' title for any princes in the Goldenbaum dynasty. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 03:44, 14 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Perhaps. For example, in East Slavic history, the title of Grand Duke and Prince/Grand Prince are often used interchangeably. In the Russian Empire the sons of the the Tsar were given the title of ''Veliky Knyaz'', which can be translated as either Grand Duke or Grand Prince (although the latter is more accurate). —[[User:Goldenbaum Loyalist|Goldenbaum Loyalist]] 17:02, 14 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Imperial noble ranks ==<br />
<br />
Adccording to the German nobility system,<br />
<br />
侯爵 (''koushaku'') must be translated to '''Fürst''' (Prince of...). It cannot be traslated as '''Markgraf''' (Marquis) which is just a form of '''Graf''' (Count). There is no tradition of promoting a Graf to a Markgraf (because it is the equal rank). If some Graf to be promoted, they will get promotion to Fürst, like German chancellor Otto von Bismarck.<br />
<br />
Also in Japanese language, they have translated Fürst as 侯爵. For example, "Fürst von Bismarck" has been translated as ビスマルク侯爵.<br>Someone claimed that 侯爵 can be translated as Markgraf, that is wrong. The Japanese has translated Markgraf as 辺境伯 (''henkyou-haku''). [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 09:40, 31 October 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:That might be true in German, but in Gineipaedia, English naming conventions take precedence over German, so 侯爵 would be translated as "Marquis" and not "Fürst". [[User:Glacierfairy|Glacierfairy]] 05:51, 1 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: Even the Gineipaedia take English naming over German, 侯爵 still should be translated as "Prince" (Fürst) not "Marquis" (Markgraf). [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 19:09, 1 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::No, what I meant was that English translations of the Japanese titles take precedence over German translations of the Japanese titles. [[User:Glacierfairy|Glacierfairy]] 01:42, 5 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::No,侯爵 is a direct copy of the Chinese nobility system and is translated as Marquis, not Prince. Prince as in sons of a king are 王子. Princes as in independent rulers of a principality are translated as 王, and "king" is a more appropriate translation. Neither of these describe the rank of 侯爵 which is the 2nd highest noble title, a step below 公爵. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 02:18, 6 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:: This topic concerns German, Japanese and English. It have nothing to do with Chinese in the first place. I may give you another example: "Fürst zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst" has been translated ホーエンローエ=シリングスフュルスト侯爵 in Japanese, and Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst in English. That's why I say "侯爵" should be translated "Prince" in English. <br />
<br />
:: The German ''Dukes'' (''Herzog'') has dignity = British Prince of Wales, German ''Feudal Princes'' (''Fürst'') has dignity = British Dukes, The German ''Counts'' (''Graf'') has dignity = British Earls. [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 22:52, 22 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::No, it has everything to do with the Chinese noble system because that is both what Japan's system and the Galactic Empire's is based off of. The Galactic Empire superficial Germanic trappings aside is Imperial China. 侯爵 remains Marquis. Dukes remain 公爵 and the original name and titles show this to be the case such as for Grand Duke Herbert. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 08:53, 23 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::: The Galactic Imperial nobility is adapted from Germanic one. In the original novel, Annerose's title is clearly written in Katakana グラフィン・フォン・グリューネワルト (Gräfin von Grünewald) in Chapter 3 act II. It is the proof that nobility system in LOGH is the Germanic one, not Chinese. Now let's talk about Grand Duke (大公), this one is also slightly mistranslated. 大公 can be translated both Grand Duke and Archduke, but the "Archduke" will be more accurate in this case, because in the Habsburg's Holy Roman Imperial court, sons of Kaisers held this title. [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 14:46, 23 November 2021 (UTC)</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Talk:NobilityTalk:Nobility2021-11-22T22:52:25Z<p>WalkerEmp: </p>
<hr />
<div>==Separate or combined?==<br />
Are we going to have separate articles for these different factions of the nobility? We have one for [[High Nobles]], but i had figured we could just redirect that to this page, the same way we redirect Fezzan Corridor to Navigation corridors? <span style="color: #bbb">&nbsp;♥</span>&nbsp;[[User:kine|<span style="color: #359fef !important;">kine</span>]] @ 14:18, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::?? I brought this up earlier. I thought you had moved things into different pages? Originally, High nobles/nobles/reformer nobles were all one page. [[User:Canary|Canary]] 14:27, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::Did i really? Maybe i was drunk :(<br />
<br />
:::Do you prefer them all together as well then? <span style="color: #bbb">&nbsp;♥</span>&nbsp;[[User:kine|<span style="color: #359fef !important;">kine</span>]] @ 14:46, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::::Yeah, I prefer them merged. I think, in general, logh is such a rich setting that we are going to have (and already have) a whole lot of pages, so the simpler we keep things, the better.<br />
<br />
== Military service ==<br />
<br />
I vaguely recall this was either mentioned in an episode or written somewhere, but I don't remember where. Were the nobility exempt from military conscription that the common Imperial citizens had to do? —[[User:Goldenbaum Loyalist|Goldenbaum Loyalist]] 22:13, 19 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:In {{Hbshbl|8}}, Kircheis talks to Martin Bufholtz, and that is where the information about the mandatory military service of 2 years for commoners comes from. I cannot offhand recall a specific source explicitly saying the nobles were exempt. Things like Grand Duke Herbert including drinking friends among his military advisors suggest however 2 possibilities. The first is that maybe nobles were exempt from the mandatory service. Grand Duke Herbert's initial enjoyment of playing "soldier" seems to suggest this first option though it is not conclusive evidence. The second is they were not exempt but they got safe and easy jobs far from the front lines. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 01:47, 20 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
==Princes==<br />
<br />
Just as a note, and my own nitpick with the subs, the title of "Prince" (皇子, as in son of an emperor) actually is never used in the series to the best of my knowledge. The title Crown Prince (皇太子) does get used for the designated heir. The only known instances of the title Grand Duke (大公) all seem to be held by sons of the Kaiser. Grand Duke Herbert, Grand Duke Clementz, Grand Duke (in addition to his Crown Prince title) Richard etc... I wonder whether it is a ''de facto'' title for any princes in the Goldenbaum dynasty. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 03:44, 14 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Perhaps. For example, in East Slavic history, the title of Grand Duke and Prince/Grand Prince are often used interchangeably. In the Russian Empire the sons of the the Tsar were given the title of ''Veliky Knyaz'', which can be translated as either Grand Duke or Grand Prince (although the latter is more accurate). —[[User:Goldenbaum Loyalist|Goldenbaum Loyalist]] 17:02, 14 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Imperial noble ranks ==<br />
<br />
Adccording to the German nobility system,<br />
<br />
侯爵 (''koushaku'') must be translated to '''Fürst''' (Prince of...). It cannot be traslated as '''Markgraf''' (Marquis) which is just a form of '''Graf''' (Count). There is no tradition of promoting a Graf to a Markgraf (because it is the equal rank). If some Graf to be promoted, they will get promotion to Fürst, like German chancellor Otto von Bismarck.<br />
<br />
Also in Japanese language, they have translated Fürst as 侯爵. For example, "Fürst von Bismarck" has been translated as ビスマルク侯爵.<br>Someone claimed that 侯爵 can be translated as Markgraf, that is wrong. The Japanese has translated Markgraf as 辺境伯 (''henkyou-haku''). [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 09:40, 31 October 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:That might be true in German, but in Gineipaedia, English naming conventions take precedence over German, so 侯爵 would be translated as "Marquis" and not "Fürst". [[User:Glacierfairy|Glacierfairy]] 05:51, 1 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: Even the Gineipaedia take English naming over German, 侯爵 still should be translated as "Prince" (Fürst) not "Marquis" (Markgraf). [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 19:09, 1 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::No, what I meant was that English translations of the Japanese titles take precedence over German translations of the Japanese titles. [[User:Glacierfairy|Glacierfairy]] 01:42, 5 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::No,侯爵 is a direct copy of the Chinese nobility system and is translated as Marquis, not Prince. Prince as in sons of a king are 王子. Princes as in independent rulers of a principality are translated as 王, and "king" is a more appropriate translation. Neither of these describe the rank of 侯爵 which is the 2nd highest noble title, a step below 公爵. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 02:18, 6 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:: This topic concerns German, Japanese and English. It have nothing to do with Chinese in the first place. I may give you another example: "Fürst zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst" has been translated ホーエンローエ=シリングスフュルスト侯爵 in Japanese, and Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst in English. That's why I say "侯爵" should be translated "Prince" in English. <br />
<br />
:: The German ''Dukes'' (''Herzog'') has dignity = British Prince of Wales, German ''Feudal Princes'' (''Fürst'') has dignity = British Dukes, The German ''Counts'' (''Graf'') has dignity = British Earls. [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 22:52, 22 November 2021 (UTC)</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Talk:NobilityTalk:Nobility2021-11-01T19:09:31Z<p>WalkerEmp: /* Imperial noble ranks */</p>
<hr />
<div>==Separate or combined?==<br />
Are we going to have separate articles for these different factions of the nobility? We have one for [[High Nobles]], but i had figured we could just redirect that to this page, the same way we redirect Fezzan Corridor to Navigation corridors? <span style="color: #bbb">&nbsp;♥</span>&nbsp;[[User:kine|<span style="color: #359fef !important;">kine</span>]] @ 14:18, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::?? I brought this up earlier. I thought you had moved things into different pages? Originally, High nobles/nobles/reformer nobles were all one page. [[User:Canary|Canary]] 14:27, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::Did i really? Maybe i was drunk :(<br />
<br />
:::Do you prefer them all together as well then? <span style="color: #bbb">&nbsp;♥</span>&nbsp;[[User:kine|<span style="color: #359fef !important;">kine</span>]] @ 14:46, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::::Yeah, I prefer them merged. I think, in general, logh is such a rich setting that we are going to have (and already have) a whole lot of pages, so the simpler we keep things, the better.<br />
<br />
== Military service ==<br />
<br />
I vaguely recall this was either mentioned in an episode or written somewhere, but I don't remember where. Were the nobility exempt from military conscription that the common Imperial citizens had to do? —[[User:Goldenbaum Loyalist|Goldenbaum Loyalist]] 22:13, 19 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:In {{Hbshbl|8}}, Kircheis talks to Martin Bufholtz, and that is where the information about the mandatory military service of 2 years for commoners comes from. I cannot offhand recall a specific source explicitly saying the nobles were exempt. Things like Grand Duke Herbert including drinking friends among his military advisors suggest however 2 possibilities. The first is that maybe nobles were exempt from the mandatory service. Grand Duke Herbert's initial enjoyment of playing "soldier" seems to suggest this first option though it is not conclusive evidence. The second is they were not exempt but they got safe and easy jobs far from the front lines. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 01:47, 20 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
==Princes==<br />
<br />
Just as a note, and my own nitpick with the subs, the title of "Prince" (皇子, as in son of an emperor) actually is never used in the series to the best of my knowledge. The title Crown Prince (皇太子) does get used for the designated heir. The only known instances of the title Grand Duke (大公) all seem to be held by sons of the Kaiser. Grand Duke Herbert, Grand Duke Clementz, Grand Duke (in addition to his Crown Prince title) Richard etc... I wonder whether it is a ''de facto'' title for any princes in the Goldenbaum dynasty. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 03:44, 14 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Perhaps. For example, in East Slavic history, the title of Grand Duke and Prince/Grand Prince are often used interchangeably. In the Russian Empire the sons of the the Tsar were given the title of ''Veliky Knyaz'', which can be translated as either Grand Duke or Grand Prince (although the latter is more accurate). —[[User:Goldenbaum Loyalist|Goldenbaum Loyalist]] 17:02, 14 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Imperial noble ranks ==<br />
<br />
Adccording to the German nobility system,<br />
<br />
侯爵 (''koushaku'') must be translated to '''Fürst''' (Prince of...). It cannot be traslated as '''Markgraf''' (Marquis) which is just a form of '''Graf''' (Count). There is no tradition of promoting a Graf to a Markgraf (because it is the equal rank). If some Graf to be promoted, they will get promotion to Fürst, like German chancellor Otto von Bismarck.<br />
<br />
Also in Japanese language, they have translated Fürst as 侯爵. For example, "Fürst von Bismarck" has been translated as ビスマルク侯爵.<br>Someone claimed that 侯爵 can be translated as Markgraf, that is wrong. The Japanese has translated Markgraf as 辺境伯 (''henkyou-haku''). [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 09:40, 31 October 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:That might be true in German, but in Gineipaedia, English naming conventions take precedence over German, so 侯爵 would be translated as "Marquis" and not "Fürst". [[User:Glacierfairy|Glacierfairy]] 05:51, 1 November 2021 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: Even the Gineipaedia take English naming over German, 侯爵 still should be translated as "Prince" (Fürst) not "Marquis" (Markgraf). [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 19:09, 1 November 2021 (UTC)</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/NobilityNobility2021-10-31T09:48:04Z<p>WalkerEmp: /* Noble Ranks */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[File:High Nobility.jpg|right|300px]]<br />
An aristocratic social class founded by [[Rudolf von Goldenbaum]] in {{d|9|rc}} to serve the [[Galactic Empire]], the nobility held most of the political and economic power in the Empire during the rule of the [[Goldenbaum Dynasty]].<br />
<br />
==High Nobles==<br />
The High Nobility was the upper echelon of the Noble social class in the [[Goldenbaum Dynasty]]'s social hierarchy. High Nobles were men and women from the oldest and most powerful noble families in the [[Galactic Empire]]. It was from the High Nobility that most of the Empire's most powerful political leaders hailed from, not because of merit but because of blood.<br />
<br />
Ironically, when [[Rudolph von Goldenbaum]] first established the aristocracy, it was something of a meritocracy: men and women of exceptional ability could, at times, be elevated to noble rank. This provided early Imperial society with a degree of upward social mobility, allowing the culture of the Empire to stay dynamic. Eventually, however, the nobility became a stagnant social class, which could only be inherited through blood. This gradually increased the resentment of the lower classes, and eventually led to the Exodus of [[Arle Heinnesen]], and a rise in republican protestors and social reformers. The High Nobility, however, was ruthless in destroying anything that might endanger its authority.<br />
<br />
In the [[Imperial Civil War]], most of the High Nobility sided with Duke [[Otho von Braunschweig]]. At the end of the civil war, [[Reinhard von Lohengramm]] abolished the privileges of the aristocracy, stripping the nobles who rebelled their titles, positions and property.<br />
<br />
==Low Nobles==<br />
Nobility in name only, low nobles were poor aristocratic families of limited economic means. They did not necessarily own land grants, or hold positions of power within the government. These lower-class nobles were considered something of an embarrassment by the high nobles.<br />
<br />
[[Reinhard von Lohengramm]] was born into the von Müsel family, which had the lowest rank of nobility just one step above commoner status, Imperial Knight.<br />
<br />
==Reformer Nobles==<br />
Ostensibly drawn from both the high and low nobility, reformer nobles were aristocrats who advocated the democractic reform of the [[Empire]] and some, possibly, the abolition of the aristocratic class and the position of Emperor. During the [[Imperial Civil War]], the reformer nobles were persuaded to side with [[Reinhard von Lohengramm]] by [[Hildegarde von Mariendorf]], the head of the Mariendorf family. Eventually, all of the high and lower nobles that sided with the Lohengramm administration kept their aristocratic titles and properties, some even participating in the new Imperial cabinet or as members of the New Imperial Court.<br />
<br />
After Reinhard seized power, most reformer nobles expressed praise for Reinhard's reforms, while others expressed concern over his unwillingness to abolish the [[Goldenbaum Dynasty|Goldenbaum Monarchy]]. Among those were [[Karl Braque]] and [[Eugen Richter]], two former nobles that gave up their titles to serve Reinhard in a reformed government.<br />
<br />
==Noble Ranks==<br />
The known noble ranks in the Empire are (in descending order):<br />
* Grand Duke (Japanese: '''大公'''), this rank was given to princes once they reached adulthood and thus was only given to those directly related to the Kaiser.<br />
* Duke (Japanese: '''公爵''')<br />
* Prince (Japanese: '''侯爵''') or Fürst in German, has been mistraslated to Marquis (辺境伯, Markgraf)<br />
* Count (Japanese: '''伯爵''') <br />
* Viscount (Japanese: '''子爵''') <br />
* Baron (Japanese: '''男爵''') <br />
* Imperial Knight (Japanese: '''帝国騎士''') or ''Reichsritter'' in German, the lowest noble title, barely above commoner.<br />
<br />
({{logh|009}}, {{hbshbl|02}})<br />
<br />
The rank of Imperial Knight had previously been sold by the Imperial family when in need of funds, but by the time of [[Friedrich IV]], this means of fund raising was not possible as the title was no longer valuable. ([[Legend of Galactic Heroes Gaiden Volume 1: The Star Crusher]]: 'Cobweb')<br />
<br />
[[Category:Nobility| Nobility]]<br />
[[Category:Galactic Empire]]</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/NobilityNobility2021-10-31T09:47:32Z<p>WalkerEmp: Crown Prince is not a noble rank. For example, Grand Duke Franz Otto, Crown Prince of Galactic Kaiser Julius VI</p>
<hr />
<div>[[File:High Nobility.jpg|right|300px]]<br />
An aristocratic social class founded by [[Rudolf von Goldenbaum]] in {{d|9|rc}} to serve the [[Galactic Empire]], the nobility held most of the political and economic power in the Empire during the rule of the [[Goldenbaum Dynasty]].<br />
<br />
==High Nobles==<br />
The High Nobility was the upper echelon of the Noble social class in the [[Goldenbaum Dynasty]]'s social hierarchy. High Nobles were men and women from the oldest and most powerful noble families in the [[Galactic Empire]]. It was from the High Nobility that most of the Empire's most powerful political leaders hailed from, not because of merit but because of blood.<br />
<br />
Ironically, when [[Rudolph von Goldenbaum]] first established the aristocracy, it was something of a meritocracy: men and women of exceptional ability could, at times, be elevated to noble rank. This provided early Imperial society with a degree of upward social mobility, allowing the culture of the Empire to stay dynamic. Eventually, however, the nobility became a stagnant social class, which could only be inherited through blood. This gradually increased the resentment of the lower classes, and eventually led to the Exodus of [[Arle Heinnesen]], and a rise in republican protestors and social reformers. The High Nobility, however, was ruthless in destroying anything that might endanger its authority.<br />
<br />
In the [[Imperial Civil War]], most of the High Nobility sided with Duke [[Otho von Braunschweig]]. At the end of the civil war, [[Reinhard von Lohengramm]] abolished the privileges of the aristocracy, stripping the nobles who rebelled their titles, positions and property.<br />
<br />
==Low Nobles==<br />
Nobility in name only, low nobles were poor aristocratic families of limited economic means. They did not necessarily own land grants, or hold positions of power within the government. These lower-class nobles were considered something of an embarrassment by the high nobles.<br />
<br />
[[Reinhard von Lohengramm]] was born into the von Müsel family, which had the lowest rank of nobility just one step above commoner status, Imperial Knight.<br />
<br />
==Reformer Nobles==<br />
Ostensibly drawn from both the high and low nobility, reformer nobles were aristocrats who advocated the democractic reform of the [[Empire]] and some, possibly, the abolition of the aristocratic class and the position of Emperor. During the [[Imperial Civil War]], the reformer nobles were persuaded to side with [[Reinhard von Lohengramm]] by [[Hildegarde von Mariendorf]], the head of the Mariendorf family. Eventually, all of the high and lower nobles that sided with the Lohengramm administration kept their aristocratic titles and properties, some even participating in the new Imperial cabinet or as members of the New Imperial Court.<br />
<br />
After Reinhard seized power, most reformer nobles expressed praise for Reinhard's reforms, while others expressed concern over his unwillingness to abolish the [[Goldenbaum Dynasty|Goldenbaum Monarchy]]. Among those were [[Karl Braque]] and [[Eugen Richter]], two former nobles that gave up their titles to serve Reinhard in a reformed government.<br />
<br />
==Noble Ranks==<br />
The known noble ranks in the Empire are (in descending order):<br />
* Grand Duke (Japanese: '''大公'''), this rank was given to princes once they reached adulthood and thus was only given to those directly related to the Kaiser.<br />
* Duke (Japanese: '''公爵''', German: Herzog)<br />
* Prince (Japanese: '''侯爵''', German: Herzog) or Fürst in German, has been mistraslated to Marquis (辺境伯, Markgraf)<br />
* Count (Japanese: '''伯爵''') <br />
* Viscount (Japanese: '''子爵''') <br />
* Baron (Japanese: '''男爵''') <br />
* Imperial Knight (Japanese: '''帝国騎士''') or ''Reichsritter'' in German, the lowest noble title, barely above commoner.<br />
<br />
({{logh|009}}, {{hbshbl|02}})<br />
<br />
The rank of Imperial Knight had previously been sold by the Imperial family when in need of funds, but by the time of [[Friedrich IV]], this means of fund raising was not possible as the title was no longer valuable. ([[Legend of Galactic Heroes Gaiden Volume 1: The Star Crusher]]: 'Cobweb')<br />
<br />
[[Category:Nobility| Nobility]]<br />
[[Category:Galactic Empire]]</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Talk:NobilityTalk:Nobility2021-10-31T09:45:05Z<p>WalkerEmp: /* Imperial noble titles */</p>
<hr />
<div>==Separate or combined?==<br />
Are we going to have separate articles for these different factions of the nobility? We have one for [[High Nobles]], but i had figured we could just redirect that to this page, the same way we redirect Fezzan Corridor to Navigation corridors? <span style="color: #bbb">&nbsp;♥</span>&nbsp;[[User:kine|<span style="color: #359fef !important;">kine</span>]] @ 14:18, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::?? I brought this up earlier. I thought you had moved things into different pages? Originally, High nobles/nobles/reformer nobles were all one page. [[User:Canary|Canary]] 14:27, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::Did i really? Maybe i was drunk :(<br />
<br />
:::Do you prefer them all together as well then? <span style="color: #bbb">&nbsp;♥</span>&nbsp;[[User:kine|<span style="color: #359fef !important;">kine</span>]] @ 14:46, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::::Yeah, I prefer them merged. I think, in general, logh is such a rich setting that we are going to have (and already have) a whole lot of pages, so the simpler we keep things, the better.<br />
<br />
== Military service ==<br />
<br />
I vaguely recall this was either mentioned in an episode or written somewhere, but I don't remember where. Were the nobility exempt from military conscription that the common Imperial citizens had to do? —[[User:Goldenbaum Loyalist|Goldenbaum Loyalist]] 22:13, 19 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:In {{Hbshbl|8}}, Kircheis talks to Martin Bufholtz, and that is where the information about the mandatory military service of 2 years for commoners comes from. I cannot offhand recall a specific source explicitly saying the nobles were exempt. Things like Grand Duke Herbert including drinking friends among his military advisors suggest however 2 possibilities. The first is that maybe nobles were exempt from the mandatory service. Grand Duke Herbert's initial enjoyment of playing "soldier" seems to suggest this first option though it is not conclusive evidence. The second is they were not exempt but they got safe and easy jobs far from the front lines. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 01:47, 20 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
==Princes==<br />
<br />
Just as a note, and my own nitpick with the subs, the title of "Prince" (皇子, as in son of an emperor) actually is never used in the series to the best of my knowledge. The title Crown Prince (皇太子) does get used for the designated heir. The only known instances of the title Grand Duke (大公) all seem to be held by sons of the Kaiser. Grand Duke Herbert, Grand Duke Clementz, Grand Duke (in addition to his Crown Prince title) Richard etc... I wonder whether it is a ''de facto'' title for any princes in the Goldenbaum dynasty. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 03:44, 14 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Perhaps. For example, in East Slavic history, the title of Grand Duke and Prince/Grand Prince are often used interchangeably. In the Russian Empire the sons of the the Tsar were given the title of ''Veliky Knyaz'', which can be translated as either Grand Duke or Grand Prince (although the latter is more accurate). —[[User:Goldenbaum Loyalist|Goldenbaum Loyalist]] 17:02, 14 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Imperial noble ranks ==<br />
<br />
Adccording to the German nobility system,<br />
<br />
侯爵 (''koushaku'') must be translated to '''Fürst''' (Prince of...). It cannot be traslated as '''Markgraf''' (Marquis) which is just a form of '''Graf''' (Count). There is no tradition of promoting a Graf to a Markgraf (because it is the equal rank). If some Graf to be promoted, they will get promotion to Fürst, like German chancellor Otto von Bismarck.<br />
<br />
Also in Japanese language, they have translated Fürst as 侯爵. For example, "Fürst von Bismarck" has been translated as ビスマルク侯爵.<br>Someone claimed that 侯爵 can be translated as Markgraf, that is wrong. The Japanese has translated Markgraf as 辺境伯 (''henkyou-haku''). [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 09:40, 31 October 2021 (UTC)</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Talk:NobilityTalk:Nobility2021-10-31T09:40:29Z<p>WalkerEmp: /* Imperial noble titles */ new section</p>
<hr />
<div>==Separate or combined?==<br />
Are we going to have separate articles for these different factions of the nobility? We have one for [[High Nobles]], but i had figured we could just redirect that to this page, the same way we redirect Fezzan Corridor to Navigation corridors? <span style="color: #bbb">&nbsp;♥</span>&nbsp;[[User:kine|<span style="color: #359fef !important;">kine</span>]] @ 14:18, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::?? I brought this up earlier. I thought you had moved things into different pages? Originally, High nobles/nobles/reformer nobles were all one page. [[User:Canary|Canary]] 14:27, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::Did i really? Maybe i was drunk :(<br />
<br />
:::Do you prefer them all together as well then? <span style="color: #bbb">&nbsp;♥</span>&nbsp;[[User:kine|<span style="color: #359fef !important;">kine</span>]] @ 14:46, 15 May 2011 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::::Yeah, I prefer them merged. I think, in general, logh is such a rich setting that we are going to have (and already have) a whole lot of pages, so the simpler we keep things, the better.<br />
<br />
== Military service ==<br />
<br />
I vaguely recall this was either mentioned in an episode or written somewhere, but I don't remember where. Were the nobility exempt from military conscription that the common Imperial citizens had to do? —[[User:Goldenbaum Loyalist|Goldenbaum Loyalist]] 22:13, 19 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:In {{Hbshbl|8}}, Kircheis talks to Martin Bufholtz, and that is where the information about the mandatory military service of 2 years for commoners comes from. I cannot offhand recall a specific source explicitly saying the nobles were exempt. Things like Grand Duke Herbert including drinking friends among his military advisors suggest however 2 possibilities. The first is that maybe nobles were exempt from the mandatory service. Grand Duke Herbert's initial enjoyment of playing "soldier" seems to suggest this first option though it is not conclusive evidence. The second is they were not exempt but they got safe and easy jobs far from the front lines. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 01:47, 20 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
==Princes==<br />
<br />
Just as a note, and my own nitpick with the subs, the title of "Prince" (皇子, as in son of an emperor) actually is never used in the series to the best of my knowledge. The title Crown Prince (皇太子) does get used for the designated heir. The only known instances of the title Grand Duke (大公) all seem to be held by sons of the Kaiser. Grand Duke Herbert, Grand Duke Clementz, Grand Duke (in addition to his Crown Prince title) Richard etc... I wonder whether it is a ''de facto'' title for any princes in the Goldenbaum dynasty. [[User:Iracundus|Iracundus]] 03:44, 14 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Perhaps. For example, in East Slavic history, the title of Grand Duke and Prince/Grand Prince are often used interchangeably. In the Russian Empire the sons of the the Tsar were given the title of ''Veliky Knyaz'', which can be translated as either Grand Duke or Grand Prince (although the latter is more accurate). —[[User:Goldenbaum Loyalist|Goldenbaum Loyalist]] 17:02, 14 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Imperial noble titles ==<br />
<br />
Adccording to the German nobility system,<br />
<br />
侯爵 (''koushaku'') must be translated to '''Fürst''' (Prince of...). It cannot be traslated as '''Markgraf''' (Marquis) which is just a form of '''Graf''' (Count). There is no tradition of promoting a Graf to a Markgraf (because it is the equal rank). If some Graf to be promoted, they will get promotion to Fürst, like German chancellor Otto von Bismarck.<br />
<br />
Also in Japanese language, they have translated Fürst as 侯爵. For example, "Fürst von Bismarck" has been translated as ビスマルク侯爵.<br>Someone claimed that 侯爵 can be translated as Markgraf, that is wrong. The Japanese has translated Markgraf as 辺境伯 (''henkyou-haku''). [[User:WalkerEmp|WalkerEmp]] 09:40, 31 October 2021 (UTC)</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/ChristineChristine2021-10-31T09:10:45Z<p>WalkerEmp: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{infobox character<br />
| image-top = SabineLittenheim2.jpg<br />
| caption-top = '''Christine''' (right, {{d|792|uc}})<br />
| gender = Female<br />
| affiliation = [[Galactic Empire]]<br />
| status = Unknown<br />
| father = [[Friedrich IV]]<br />
| mother = Unknown<br />
| siblings = [[Amarie]]<br />[[Ludwig]]<br />
| marital-status = Married<br />
| spouse = [[Wilhelm von Littenheim]]<br />
| children = [[Sabine von Littenheim]]<br />
| actor = <br />
}}<br />
<br />
Grand Duchess '''Christine''' Princess von Littenheim, was one of the two daughters of Emperor [[Friedrich IV]] of the [[Galactic Empire]]. She was married to [[Wilhelm von Littenheim|Wilhelm Prince von Littenheim]], the head of one of the most powerful [[Nobility#High nobility|high noble]] families, and was the mother of [[Sabine von Littenheim]]. Christine was also the sister of Princess [[Amarie]] and Crown Prince [[Ludwig]].<br />
<br />
Her fate during and after the [[Imperial Civil War]] is unknown. If the Littenheim family was treated in the same way as the Lichtenlade family, then its assets would have been confiscated as spoils of war and the women (Christine included) and female children sent to the frontier. <br />
<br />
==Appendices==<br />
===Appearances===<br />
<div class="appear"><br />
*{{duel}}<br />
**{{e|02|duel}} (only appearance)<br />
</div><br />
===Background information===<br />
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_(name) Christine] is a common given name Greek or Egyptian origin that essentially means "follower of Christ."<br />
[[Category:Nobility]]<br />
[[Category:Imperial citizens]]</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Wilhelm_von_LittenheimWilhelm von Littenheim2021-10-31T09:07:41Z<p>WalkerEmp: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{infobox/character<br />
| image-top = Littenheim.jpg<br />
| caption-top = Prince von '''Littenheim''' ({{d|797|uc}})<br />
| gender = Male<br />
| affiliation = [[Galactic Empire]] ([[Lippstadt League]])<br />
| rank = [[Military ranks of the Galactic Empire#High admiral|High admiral]] ([[Lippstadt League]])<br />
| flagship = ''[[Ostmark]]''<br />
| status = Deceased (murder)<br />
| died = {{d|797|uc}}<br />
| spouse = [[Christine]]<br />
| children = [[Sabine von Littenheim]]<br />
| relatives = [[Friedrich IV]]<br />[[Herxheimer]]<br />
| actor = [[Terashima Mikio]] (Deceased)<br />
}}<br />
'''Wilhelm von Littenheim III''' (Japanese: '''ウィルヘルム・フォン・リッテンハイム3世''') was 3rd Prince von Littenheim , son-in-law to Kaiser [[Friedrich IV]] as the husband of his daughter Grand Duchess [[Christine]], and one of the most influential nobles at court during the late [[Goldenbaum Dynasty]]. Like his rival and later ally Duke [[Otho von Braunschweig]], he was a staunch defender of the old order in the Empire and opposed [[Reinhard von Lohengramm]] during the [[Imperial Civil War]]. However, Littenheim had no real martial talents and was defeated by {{rank|imperial|high admiral}} [[Siegfried Kircheis]], whose fleet had 10,000 fewer ships.<br />
<br />
Prince von Littenheim was killed by one of his former subordinates while at [[Garmisch Fortress]] shortly after his defeat in battle.<br />
<br />
==History==<br />
===Early life===<br />
[[File:Herxheimer and Littenheim.png|190px|thumb|left|Littenheim with his relative, Herxheimer ({{d|792|uc}})]]<br />
Prince von Littenheim was born into one of the most powerful noble houses in the Empire and became involved in politics during the late [[Goldenbaum Dynasty]]. He eventually married Princess [[Christine]], one of the two daughters of Emperor [[Friedrich IV]], becoming a member of the imperial family. The Prince supported one of his relatives, Count [[Herxheimer]], in a dispute with the husband of Viscountess [[Dorothea von Schafhausen]] over mining rights in {{d|792|uc}}. Once he found out that Reinhard von Lohengramm, who was rising through the ranks of the [[Imperial Armed Forces|Imperial Fleet]] at the time, was going to duel in the elderly viscount's place against Herxheimer's duelist, Littenheim tried to get him killed by hiring a professional assassin. The assassin ended up failing. ({{logh|016}}, {{hbshbl|08}})<br />
<br />
Later on when Herxheimer found out that Littenheim's daughter [[Sabine von Littenheim|Sabine]] had a genetic disease that would make her ineligible to take the throne, Littenheim had no qualms in betraying his relative and trying to have him killed. This caused Herxheimer to attempt to flee to the [[Free Planets Alliance]] and he died in an accident aboard his ship during the attempt. Although Reinhard von Lohengramm, who commanded the mission to recover the defecting noble before he could reach the Alliance, learned of the secret, he did not give it away. ({{ret|03}})<br />
<br />
He had a longstanding feud with Duke [[Otho von Braunschweig]] as both were son-in-laws to Kaiser Friedrich IV. As Friedrich IV had no named heirs, this made both Prince von Littenheim and Duke von Braunschweig, through the proxies of their children, contenders for control of the throne of the [[Galactic Empire]]. Along with Braunschweig and the other high nobles, he was also a major opponent of [[Reinhard von Lohengramm]] and his sister [[Annerose]], the Countess Grünewald, at court. ({{logh|016|018}}, {{hbshbl|08}})<br />
<br />
===Imperial Civil War===<br />
When Kaiser [[Friedrich IV]] suddenly died in November {{d|796|uc}}, Prince von Littenheim's fourteen-year old daughter, [[Sabine von Littenheim]], became a contender for the throne. However, the acting Imperial prime minister [[Klaus von Lichtenlade]] used his authority as the head of the government and the holder of the [[Imperial Seal]] to name the son of the Friedrich's deceased heir, Crown Prince [[Ludwig]], the next emperor [[Erwin Josef II]]. He wanted to prevent Braunschweig or Littenheim from usurping the power he enjoyed and made an alliance with Reinhard von Lohengramm, who was then a {{rank|imperial|fleet admiral}}, to keep the high nobles in check. Refusing to give up, Prince von Littenheim allied himself with the Braunschweig family, who had supported the Duke Otto von Braunschweig's own daughter, [[Elisabeth von Braunschweig]], for the throne. As tensions increased it became clear that the situation was deteriorating towards civil war between the Lohengramm–Lichtenlade axis and the new [[Lippstadt League|Braunschweig–Littenheim alliance]], which had the support of the majority of the high nobility. A group of nearly four thousand nobles met at Braunschweig's estate in Lippstadt forest where they formed a coalition rivaling Lohengramm, with Littenheim becoming its deputy leader. ({{logh|016|018}})<br />
<br />
A failed assassination attempt on Lohengramm by one of Duke Braunschweig's subordinates set off a chain of events that forced Littenheim and the other nobles to abandon the [[Imperial City]]. Although some of them were caught in orbit of [[Odin]] by a [[Wahlen Fleet|fleet]] under {{rank|imperial|admiral}} [[August Samuel Wahlen]], Littenheim was among those who escaped. The Prince met up with the rest of the Lippstadt forces at their main base of [[Geiersburg Fortress]], where he was granted the rank of {{rank|imperial|high admiral|lc}} in their Allied Forces. As the [[Imperial Civil War]] broke out, Duke Braunschweig allowed Prince von Littenheim to take a third of the Lippstadt forces ostensibly to regain control over rebellious frontier fiefs. Braunschweig's ulterior motive was to get Littenheim away from Geiersberg Fortress. Littenheim based his fleet at [[Garmisch Fortress]] but was defeated at the [[Battle of Kyffhäuser]] by [[Siegfried Kircheis]], largely due to his fleet's poor organization and lack of a unified command structure. He was killed in a bombing by a disgruntled subordinate at Garmisch Fortress. ({{logh|022}})<br />
<br />
==Personal life==<br />
It was a suppressed fact that the Prince's daughter [[Sabine von Littenheim|Sabine]], as well as [[Elisabeth von Braunschweig]], had inherited a genetic disease via their mothers, who were sisters. Under the [[Inferior Genes Exclusion Act]], this would have made Sabine and Elisabeth ineligible for the throne, and would have disgraced both Duke Braunschweig and Prince von Littenheim. The Prince in particular attempted to assassinate those that found out the truth, such as his relative, Count Herxheimer, who attempted to defect to the [[Free Planets Alliance]]. ({{ret|04}})<br />
<br />
==Appendices==<br />
===Appearances===<br />
<div class="appear"><br />
*{{logh}}<br />
**{{e|016}} (first appearance)<br />
**{{e|018}}<br />
**{{e|022}} (death)<br />
*{{duel}}<br />
**{{e|2|duel}}<br />
**{{e|3|duel}}<br />
**{{e|4|duel}}<br />
*{{hbshbl}}<br />
**{{e|8|hbshbl}}<br />
</div><br />
<br />
===Name variations===<br />
*'''Wilhelmi von Littenheim''' (<abbr title="LaserDisc">LD</abbr> subtitles)<br />
* His correctly noble title is '''Fürst von Littenheim''' (Prince of Littenheim), but mistranslated to '''Marquis''' (Markgraf in German)<br />
<br />
===Background information===<br />
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_(name) Wilhelm] is a German given name meaning "vehement protector", and the origin of the English name William. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Littenheim Littenheim] is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine in north-eastern France.<br />
<br />
{{navbox/soldiers/Empire|collapsed}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Lippstadt League|Littenheim wilhelm von]]<br />
[[Category:Soldiers|Littenheim wilhelm von]]<br />
[[Category:Imperial citizens|Littenheim wilhelm von]]<br />
[[Category:Nobility|Littenheim wilhelm von]]</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Reinhard_von_LohengrammReinhard von Lohengramm2021-10-31T09:02:25Z<p>WalkerEmp: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{infobox/character<br />
| image-top = Reinhard_8.jpg<br />
| caption-top = Kaiser '''Reinhard''' ({{d|801|uc}})<br />
| gender = Male<br />
| affiliation = [[Galactic Empire]]<br />
| rank = [[Military ranks of the Galactic Empire#Fleet_admiral|Supreme Fleet Admiral]]<br />
| flagship = ''[[Brünhild]]''<br />''[[Tannhäuser]]'' (former)<br />
| occupation = Kaiser of the Galactic Empire<br />
| status = Deceased (natural causes)<br />
| born = {{d|776|uc}}<br />
| died = {{d|801|uc}}<br />
| actor = [[Horikawa Ryō]] <small>([[My Conquest Is the Sea of Stars (film)|MCISS]], [[Legend of Galactic Heroes (OVA)|OVA]], [[Overture to a New War (film)|ONW]])</small><br />[[Narahashi Miki]] <small>([[Legend of Galactic Heroes (OVA)|OVA]], childhood)</small><br />[[Midorikawa Hikaru]] <small>([[Golden Wings (film)|GW]])</small><br />
}}<br />
'''Reinhard von Lohengramm''' (Japanese: '''ラインハルト・フォン・ローエングラム'''), born '''Reinhard von Müsel''', was an [[Galactic Empire|Imperial]] military and political leader who rose to prominence during the [[Alliance–Imperial War]], overthrowing the ruling [[Goldenbaum Dynasty]] and establishing himself as [[emperor]] of a [[New Galactic Empire]], establishing the [[Goldenlöwe Dynasty]]. A genius in war and politics, he rose to the highest ranks of the [[Imperial Armed Forces|Imperial Fleet]] at a young age and eventually usurped the power of the traditional [[nobility]] during the [[Imperial Civil War]]. Upon becoming the ''de facto'' dictator of the Empire, he instituted numerous political, legal, economic, and social reforms to abolish the old feudalistic system that had existed under the Goldenbaums and created a new empire, which was described by [[Yang Wen-li]] as having been "Not by the people, but for the people." Shortly after his [[Operation Ragnarök|conquest]] of the [[Free Planets Alliance]], he deposed the [[Catherine von Goldenbaum|last Goldenbaum sovereign]], who was essentially powerless, from the throne and proclaimed himself emperor.<br />
<br />
He died on 26 July {{d|801|uc}}, at the age of 25, after having become arguably the most influential leader in human history and having unified humanity under the rule of one government.<br />
<br />
==Early life==<br />
[[File:Reinhardchildhood.PNG|190px|thumb|left|Young Reinhard ({{d|786|uc}})]]<br />
Born on 14 March {{d|776|uc}} to the poor aristocratic von Müsel family, Reinhard spent most of his childhood living with his father, [[Sebastian von Müsel|Sebastian]], and sister, [[Annerose von Grünewald|Annerose]], in a middle-class, suburban neighbourhood. Because Reinhard's mother, [[Caribelle von Müsel|Caribelle]], died in a car accident when he was very young, Reinhard grew very attached to his older sister. The von Müsel family held the noble rank of ''Reichsritter'' (Imperial Knight) therefore barely qualifying as a noble. As a child, Reinhard met the man whom he would later declare another part of himself: [[Siegfried Kircheis]]. The young Reinhard felt the name "Siegfried" was too common, and insisted on calling Siegfried by his surname, Kircheis. He would retain his habit of using Kircheis' surname, despite their close relationship, for the rest of his life. In many ways, Reinhard's life was defined by the strong relationships he formed with his sister and friend in those happy days. ({{logh|004}}, {{gw}})<br />
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Unfortunately, those days were not to last and Reinhard was rudely exposed to the true nature of the [[Galactic Empire]]'s class system in {{d|786|uc}}. One day, a [[Nobility|high nobleman]] happened to see Reinhard's sister Annerose in the street, and took notice of her. Shortly thereafter, rumours of her exceptional beauty reached the Imperial Court. It was then decided that she would be brought to the [[Neue Sanssouci|Imperial Palace]] to serve as an imperial consort to the emperor—Kaiser [[Friedrich IV]]. Reinhard's father accepted a large sum of money as a dowry in exchange for effectively selling his daughter into a life of sexual servitude. He chose to accept the money, because he reasoned that even if he refused the payment Annerose would be taken away regardless. Already weak to alcohol since the death of his wife, Sebastian retreated further into the bottle after Annerose was taken. Reflecting on Sebastian's life after his death, Kircheis thought perhaps he was never able to forgive himself for failing to protect his daughter. ({{dmsn|03}})<br />
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When Reinhard realised what his father had done, he was enraged. He angrily swore to destroy the corrupt, capricious Goldenbaum Dynasty and rescue his sister from the clutches of Kaiser Friedrich IV. Together, he and Kircheis promised to defeat every enemy and win every battle in pursuit of that goal. [[Julian Mintz]] would later note that Annerose served as the catalyst that resulted in the great change of history that Reinhard accomplished. Shortly after his sister was taken, Reinhard joined military school to become an officer, as he considered it the fastest way to advance in their class-based society, getting Kircheis to go along with him. ({{logh|004|110}}, {{swv|01}})<br />
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==Early military career==<br />
===Kapche-Lanka===<br />
[[File:Reinhard_and_tank_fire.jpg|210px|thumb|Reinhard in Kapche-Lanka ({{d|791|uc}})]]<br />
Reinhard graduated from the [[Imperial Officer Academy]] on [[Odin]] at the top of his class, and though he was much resented by his upperclassmen, all of his peers and underclassmen respected and admired him. Immediately after graduating, Reinhard and Kircheis, as young junior officers, were assigned to an Imperial facility on the frozen world of [[Kapche-Lanka]], located within the [[Iserlohn Corridor]] on the front line of the [[Alliance–Imperial War]]. It was a minor world that had some natural resources, but was not of much significance, with combat there going on mainly due to the fact that neither the Empire nor the Alliance wanted the other side to take control of it. Reinhard viewed it as an example of the incompetence of the leadership on both sides. He earned the ire of the commanding officer, {{rank|imperial|Captain}} [[Herder]], after getting into a fight with some lower ranking servicemen that were abusing a civilian woman. However, Reinhard's situation would become more perilous when Princess [[Sussanna von Beenemünde]], a concubine of Kaiser Friedrich who despised his sister's status at court, secretly hired the captain to assassinate Reinhard. He and Kircheis are thus sent on what is ostensibly a recon mission into the frozen wastes of Kapche-Lanka, but with an ill-equipped [[Panzer IV|tank]]. ({{swv|01|02}})<br />
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They inevitably run low on fuel and decide to attack an [[Free Planets Alliance|Alliance]] tank patrol that they stumble across to obtain more supplies. After successfully ambushing them, the pair gained not only more fuel but information on an upcoming Alliance attack on the Imperial base. Meanwhile, Reinhard correctly assumes that Captain Herder will send a subordinate to check on whether or not they are still alive, and lays a trap for him. When {{rank|imperial|Lieutenant}} [[Fugenberch]] arrives and reveals what is really going on before intending to finish off Reinhard, Kircheis fires from the tank nearby and kills the lieutenant. Following his death, Reinhard and Kircheis returned to the base to find it is under attack by the Alliance already, at which point they use a code they obtained from the enemy tank they captured to shut down the Alliance's attacking tanks, allowing the Empire to counterattack. Subsequently, feigning ignorance of Captain Herder's plot against them, they take part in his assault on the Alliance base, and during that assault Herder attempts to murder Reinhard. However, they prepared for it and stopped him, though in the end Herder committed suicide. ({{swv|03|04}})<br />
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Unfortunately, both conspirators on Kapche-Lanka died, making any possible legal action against Princess von Beenemünde impossible. Following his victories, Reinhard was promoted to Sub-lieutenant and transferred to the space fleet. ({{swv|04}})<br />
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===''Hameln II''===<br />
[[File:Kircheis Reinhard Bertram.jpg|thumb|210px|left|Reinhard and Kircheis confronting Bertram ({{d|791|uc}})]]<br />
Following the events on Kapche-Lanka, in August of {{d|791|uc}}, Reinhard was assigned as Chief Navigator aboard the destroyer ''[[Hameln II]]''. Although the ship's captain is impressed with Reinhard's service record, the rest of the crew is less enthusiastic and sees him as a spoiled aristocratic brat who got promoted because of his sister's status with the Kaiser. However, while going outside the vessel on a space walk, an enlisted rating ended up getting disconnected from the ship and flying out into space, before Reinhard rescued him. This earned the young officer respect from the enlisted crew of the ''Hameln II''. Later during a routine patrol outside of Iserlohn, their squadron is attacked and Reinhard temporarily takes command of the vessel when the captain is severely injured and the first officer, Lieutenant [[Hartmann Bertram]], happens to not be on the bridge. Reinhard led the destroyer away from the rest of their squadron, which fled from the Alliance vessels that were waiting to ambush them in a nearby asteroid field. Instead he flew into the asteroid field, predicting the Alliance ships wouldn't follow them and instead hunt for the fleeing squadron. Bertram returned and later demanded he pass command authority back to him and return to the normal course, but Reinhard's prediction is confirmed when the rest of their squadron is destroyed. ({{mut|01|02}})<br />
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Bertram orders the detainment of Reinhard on the grounds of mutiny, which Kircheis (the Security Officer) carries out. As they hide in the asteroid field from the patrolling Alliance ships, Bertram decided to self-destruct the ship as he believed there is not way of escape. He ignored fellow crewman [[Schmidt]]'s proposal to use the energy dispensed by a solar eruption from a nearby star to propel their ship away from the Alliance squadron in the area. Kircheis became aware of both the proposal and Bertram's plan to self-destruct, and decided to free Reinhard with the help of some enlisted men. Together they took control of the bridge but were confronted by Bertram, who shot an enlisted crewman defending Reinhard. The situation would have escalated if not for the arrival of {{rank|imperial|lieutenant commander}} [[Adenauer]], their captain, who repeats his order giving Reinhard command authority. They proceeded with the plan to get away using the eruption from the nearby star, and despite some minor problems that resulted in Bertram's death after volunteering for a dangerous mission to atone for having shot a crewman, they are able to escape. ({{mut|03|04}})<br />
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After their return to Iserlohn, Reinhard was recommended by Adenauer for promotion to lieutenant. Given the choice between continuing on as the new executive officer and an assignment elsewhere, Reinhard opted for assignment elsewhere to broaden his experience. ({{Mut|04}})<br />
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===Military administration===<br />
[[File:Reinhard and opponent.jpg|thumb|210px|Reinhard during his duel on behalf of Viscountess Schaffhausen ({{d|792|uc}})]]<br />
While working a desk job at the investigative department of the [[Ministry of War|Ministry of Military Affairs]] on Odin, Reinhard discovered several instances of corruption among base commanders on the front line. The amounts of supplies ordered and those received by the front line units do not correlate, and Reinhard deduces that certain officers were siphoning off military supplies to sell on the black market. He and Kircheis gathered evidence and reported to their superiors, but were told that nothing could be done: a certain amount of corruption was accepted as a "necessary evil" and they were essentially ordered to drop the matter. This further solidified Reinhard's opinion that the [[Goldenbaum Dynasty]] was too corrupt to be allowed to continue. ({{duel|01}})<br />
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However, the posting at the [[Imperial Capital]] meant that he was able to meet with his sister Annerose. During one such occasion, he found out about the dispute between one of her sister's few allies at the Imperial court, Viscountess [[Dorothea von Schaffhausen]], and Count [[Herxheimer]], relative of one of the most influential high nobles of the Empire: Prince [[Wilhelm von Littenheim]], over territorial mining rights. Herxheimer knew he had no chance of winning the case against her in a court of law and challenged her to a duel, using his reputation to ensure that no professional duelist would work for the Schaffhausen family. When Reinhard heard of this, he offered to take the place of her duelist, despite having no experience in that arena. News of the "blond brat" choosing to participate in this high-level duel spread quickly throughout the upper echelons of Imperial society and soon the event became a spectacle. Reinhard learned to use the antique flintlock pistols traditionally wielded by duelists, initially struggling before happening to run into a young lieutenant commander, [[Cornelius Lutz]], who trained him in its use. Unbeknownst to Reinhard, Princess von Beenemüde (having failed to get Reinhard killed on Kapche-Lanka) hired an assassin to take the place of Count Herxheimer's [[Goldschmidt|duelist]], in order to kill Reinhard during the duel. ({{duel|01|02}})<br />
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The duel was held on a property owned by Prince von Littenheim, who supported the Count, and was viewed by a large audience of nobles. Both the assassin and Reinhard missed each other in the first round because the latter duelist chose to leap to the side. In the second round, both of them wounded each other, in the assassin's right shoulder and Reinhard's left arm. The third round was a sword match, at the request of the assassin, who quickly proves himself to be the superior swordsman despite his injury, but before Reinhard could be defeated a group of [[Imperial Guard]]smen arrived at the arena on horseback, telling them that Kaiser Friedrich IV had ordered the duel to be suspended and had settled the dispute personally, splitting the proceeds of the mines equally between the two feuding families. The outcome pleased the Schaffhausen family while Herxheimer reluctantly accepted the Emperor's settlement. The assassin challenged Reinhard to another duel privately, and Reinhard, with assistance from Kircheis, is able to defeat him the second time, once again foiling Beenemüde's attempt to kill him. ({{duel|03|04}})<br />
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===''Hässliche Entlein''===<br />
[[File:Commander Reinhard.png|210px|thumb|left|Commander Reinhard at Iserlohn ({{d|792|uc}})]]<br />
Later in {{d|792|uc}}, Reinhard was transferred to [[Iserlohn Fortress]] on the front line, being given command of the [[Imperial destroyer (788 UC era)|destroyer]] ''[[Ermland II]]''. He spent part of his time there under investigation by a lieutenant commander named [[Gregor von Krumbach]], who was sent to Iserlohn to investigate the death of Captain Herder back on Kapche-Lanka. Secretly, however, he was sent there with the goal of killing Reinhard, one behalf of Princess von Beenemüde. Krumbach was unable to find an opportunity to do so when an Alliance expeditionary fleet [[Fifth Battle of Iserlohn|attacked]] the fortress, at which point he joined Reinhard and Kircheis aboard the ''Ermland II''. During the battle ''Ermland II'' destroyed an [[Alliance cruiser (788 UC era)|Alliance cruiser]], and for that he was later promoted to {{rank|imperial|commander|lc}}. After the battle Reinhard and Kircheis confronted Krumbach, killing him. ({{gw}})<br />
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In December of the same year, Commander von Müsel took command of the [[Imperial cruiser (788 UC era)|Imperial cruiser]] ''[[Hässliche Entlein]]'' ("Ugly Duckling"). It was here that he encountered [[August Samuel Wahlen]] who was his executive officer. As the captain of a cruiser, Reinhard drilled his crew frequently while they were not in battle, keeping the ship at combat readiness and the highest levels of efficiency. Around that time, he was chosen, along with the crew of his ship, for a special mission behind enemy lines by Imperial military intelligence. It was to intercept Count Herxheimer and prevent him from defecting to the Free Planets Alliance with the stolen directional [[Seffle particle|Seffle particles]] prototype. Due to the secrecy of the mission, they could expect no support from other Imperial units and to be operating in enemy territory. Reinhard accepted the operation, being joined by a representative of intelligence, Lieutenant Commander [[Bendling]]. ({{ret|01}})<br />
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[[File:Hassliche entlein bow.png|thumb|210px|Reinhard's second command, ''Hässliche Entlein'' ({{d|792|uc}})]]<br />
After organizing a skirmish between Imperial and Alliance border patrol ships in the Iserlohn Corridor to distract them, ''Hässliche Entlein'' was able to pass into the Alliance side of the Corridor undetected. The cruiser then skirted the edge of Alliance space in an uneventful southward journey to [[Fezzan Corridor]], where it caught Count Herxheimer's vessel and boarded it. In the process, they received valuable intelligence from {{rank|imperial|sub-lieutenant}} [[Neidhart Müller]], then the military attaché at the [[Galactic Empire High Commissioner's office|Imperial diplomatic mission]] on [[Fezzan]]. He and most of his family were killed in a decompression accident aboard the ship, except for [[Margareta von Herxheimer|his daughter]], who was taken aboard ''Hässliche Entlein''. Along with the Count's ship and the prototype generator aboard it—which they could not bring onto their own vessel as it was digitally locked onto his ship—the cruiser then evaded an Alliance patrol squadron while en route back to the Empire. They were able to use the generator to a limited extent, and even in that state it was enough to destroy the pursuing Alliance squadron. After that, Kircheis proposed that they make a deal to get the unlock code to the generator from the Count's daughter in exchange for her being able to defect to the Free Planets Alliance, to which she agreed. ({{ret|02|03}})<br />
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However, not only did the unlock code give access to the Seffle particle generator, but to secret information surrounding Count Herxheimer's attempted defection. The Count had learned that Duke [[Otto von Braunschweig]]'s daughter had inherited a genetic disease from her mother, meaning that Prince von Littenheim's daughter did as well, considering that their wives were sisters. That made them both ineligible claimants for the Imperial throne by the [[Inferior Genes Exclusion Act]]. Thus Littenheim tried to have him killed to suppress knowledge of that fact, prompting his defection. Reinhard and Kircheis were the only others, besides intelligence officer Bendling (who chose to defect to the Alliance with the Count's daughter), who were aware of the information. A short while later, ''Hässliche Entlein'' was able to return to Iserlohn Fortress after using the Seffle particle generator to break through an Alliance blockade and receiving supplies from supply ships led by [[Ernst von Eisenach]]. ({{ret|04}})<br />
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===Imperial Military Police===<br />
[[File:Steger denouncing.jpg|thumb|210px|left|Reinhard confronting the military school principal ({{d|793|uc}})]]<br />
Following the success of their operation, Reinhard received a promotion and transfer from the ''Hässliche Entlein'' back to Odin, where he visited his alma mater, the War Academy. As a seventeen-year old {{rank|imperial|captain|lc}}, he naturally was respected and admired by most of the cadets. After observing the school for a day Reinhard and Kircheis received their new assignment in the [[Imperial Military Police]]. Reinhard was annoyed by this as it would not give him the opportunity to distinguish himself and get a promotion, to which Kircheis reminded him it would be valuable to know how the MPs worked and that out of the Goldenbaum Dynasty's institutions, the Military Police was one that needed reform the most. It was during this time that Reinhard first learned of [[Ulrich Kesler]], a Fleet officer who transferred to the Military Police as an observer, and his efforts to try to keep the MPs from severely punishing a woman for ''lèse-majesté'', only for all of his work to have ultimately been in vain. It again incited Reinhard to go on a rant about the degenerate state of the Empire before he was interrupted by a call from the chief of police to receive his new orders: go back to the school to investigate a murder that took place the night before. ({{dmsn|01}})<br />
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A cadet named [[Karl von Reifeisen]] had been found murdered. Reinhard and Kircheis then investigated the matter, briefly interrupted by the death of his father Sebastian von Müsel. A second murder was later committed, of cadet [[Johann Gottholp von Bertz]]. Although Kircheis noted that Reinhard did not have to become an expert in everything, the two were able to solve the case, despite Reinhard's initial lack of interest in the assignment. In the process of the investigation they discovered that Reifeisen's death was an accident, but the school principal [[Gerhard von Steger]], the first to find his body, attempted to make it look like a murder both to prevent any accusations of negligence on his part, and to assist his grandson, who was third in the class. Bertz was the second in their class, and Steger killed him to remove an obstacle and to implicate [[Moritz von Haase]], at the top of the class, as the killer. Reinhard and Kircheis confronted Steger and explained the results of their investigation to him, taking him into custody shortly afterwards. Haase, who they discovered was color-blind and lied about this defect to get into military school, was also taken away, against Reinhard's wishes, who again saw it as an example of the folly of Kaiser [[Rudolf von Goldenbaum|Rudolf the Great]]'s policies; since this cadet with a genetic problem had been at the top of his class in military school. ({{dmsn|02|03|04}})<br />
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===Fleet command===<br />
[[File:Tannhaeuser in Van-Fleet.jpg|thumb|210px|Reinhard aboard the bridge of ''[[Tannhäuser]]'' near Van-Fleet ({{d|794|uc}})]]<br />
Having been promoted to {{rank|imperial|commodore|lc}}, the eighteen-year old Reinhard commanded a small squadron of the elderly {{rank|imperial|Vice Admiral}} [[Richard von Grimmelshausen]]'s [[Grimmelshausen Fleet|fleet]] at the [[Battle of Van-Fleet]] in March {{d|794|uc}}. The battle was viewed by Reinhard as completely useless and strategically insignificant, and initially Reinhard's squadron was placed in reserve along with the rest of the Grimmelshausen Fleet, much to the young commodore's frustration. The Imperial commander-in-chief, [[Gregor von Mückenberger]], saw the old admiral as a liability and sent his force to the fourth planet orbiting [[Van-Fleet (star)|Van-Fleet]], Van Fleet 4-2. Unbeknownst to the Imperials, an Alliance rear support supply base had been constructed on the planet. Reinhard voiced this possibility to Grimmelshausen and offered to lead the recon team on the ground, but Commodore [[Hermann von Lüneburg]]—an officer who specialized in ground warfare—asked to take command. The entire fleet proceeds to land on the surface, with Reinhard remaining aboard his flagship initially before taking part in an assault on the Alliance facility as the vice commander, below Lüneburg. This frustrates him as well, both because they are the same rank and the man's condescending attitude. It was the beginning of the rivalry between the two. ({{hbshbl|01|02|04}})<br />
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Over the course of the battle, Reinhard and Kircheis entered the Alliance base with Imperial forces and personally captured the base commander, {{rank|fpa|Vice Admiral}} [[Sinclair Cerebrese]]. As a result, Reinhard and Lüneburg were both promoted to {{rank|imperial|rear admiral|lc}} while Grimmelshausen was made a full {{rank|imperial|admiral|lc}}. Back on Odin after the engagement, the young flag officer had Kircheis check Lüneburg's background, and also visited Annerose once again, where he complained about Kircheis being refused a promotion. This changed soon after when Admiral Grimmelshausen recommended Reinhard's redheaded friend for a promotion. Not long after that Reinhard and Kircheis heard about a rumor spreading through the Imperial court which stated that Kaiser Friedrich IV planned to bestow upon Reinhard a new title, the Countship of Lohengramm, on his twentieth birthday. Reinhard uncharacteristically reacted positively to the suggestion. Reinhard later visited a party hosted by Grimmelshausen that celebrated his promotion to admiral, which included among its guest list, Lüneburg, with whom he nearly got into a fistfight with after Luneburg accused Reinhard of impropriety with his wife. ({{hbshbl|06|07|08}})<br />
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[[File:Friedrich IV and Grimmelshausen.jpg|thumb|210px|left|Kaiser Friedrich and Grimmelshausen discuss awarding Reinhard a countship ({{d|794|uc}})]]<br />
Later in the year both officers returned to the front lines for the [[Sixth Battle of Iserlohn]]. In the early part of the campaign Reinhard amassed several victories during the initial skirmishes ahead of the Alliance main fleet's arrival for the assault on Iserlohn, but received little attention from his superiors. The [[Free Planets Star Fleet]], however, became aware that there was a capable Imperial fleet commander at work who had handed them several stinging defeats and made attempts to entrap him using a plan developed by Yang. Outnumbered ten to one, Reinhard lost a third of his fleet breaking out of the trap. Later the Alliance completed its full deployment and began the Sixth Battle of Iserlohn proper. During the main engagement Reinhard's fleet was held in reserve. When [[Iserlohn Fortress]] was under dangerous bombardment by Alliance missile ships he launched an attack without orders, driving them away. He then seized the initiative and struck the Alliance flank, forcing them to counterattack on a narrow front where their numbers could not overwhelm his much smaller force. Rushing to join the battle, other Imperial fleets blocked the fire of Thor's Hammer and the battle became a melee (as Reinhard had predicted). ({{hbshbl|10|11}})<br />
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Reinhard's rival Lüneburg was killed leading a boarding action during this phase of the fighting. Meanwhile, while his squadron was being resupplied in Iserlohn Fortress, Reinhard met with Ulrich Kesler, who explained that Grimmelshausen sent him his memoirs which included information he had learned from various [[Nobility|high nobles]] over the years, including incriminating, secretive information. However, Reinhard declined and asked Kesler to keep the Grimmelshausen's book with the information, to be made public when the nobility of the Empire "are no longer in power." The blond rear admiral did not want to resort to blackmail to further his career. Meanwhile, back on the battlefield, Reinhard proposed to Mückenberger a plan to end the stalemate: to block the other end of the Iserlohn Corridor, which would make them break off the attack or be trapped and destroyed. Reinhard was appointed to command this force and the Alliance Star Fleet took the bait, following him and trying to withdraw from Iserlohn. The disengage Imperial Fleet then retreated as well, allowing the [[Thor Hammer]] superlaser to be used against the retreating Alliance ships to a decisive effect. ({{hbshbl|11|12}})<br />
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===The Third Battle of Tiamat===<br />
[[File:Reinhard pinpoint attack in Tiamat.jpg|thumb|210px|Reinhard's concentrated fire that won at Tiamat ({{d|795|uc}})]]<br />
To commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of Kaiser Friedrich's ascension to the throne (a rare feat in the Goldenbaum Dynasty) in December {{d|794|uc}}, the Galactic Empire announces a large new offensive against the Alliance, partly to distract the Imperial people from his lack of domestic accomplishments. This information is reported to the Alliance government via [[Dominion of Fezzan|Fezzan]] and soon several fleets are deployed to meet this threat. The two sides engaged each other in the historically known [[Tiamat Starzone]] in February {{d|795|uc}}. Reinhard's formation was initially kept in reserve as the battle began, by order of [[Gregor von Mückenberger]]. However, the young vice admiral had the opportunity to play a key role when [[Willem Holland]]'s [[11th Fleet]] charged directly into the Imperial formation, ahead of the other Alliance fleets. Chaos ensued, and Reinhard moved his fleet back, which encouraged Holland to think that the Imperial line was breaking. Orders from Vice Admiral [[Alexander Bucock]] of the [[5th Fleet]] to withdraw were ignored by Holland, who pressed the attack. However, the main Imperial body under Mückenberger's command eventually was able to disentangle itself from Holland's 11th Fleet, who by then had megalomaniac visions of invading the Empire himself from there. That gave Reinhard the opportunity to have his fleet launch a concentrated artillery attack at one point in the enemy formation, the center. The 11th Fleet flagship ''[[Epimetheus]]'' was instantly destroyed, Holland being killed instantly. Another barrage three minutes later broke the remaining 11th Fleet ships into a full retreat. ({{tbt|01}})<br />
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The retreat of the 11th Fleet was covered by their comrades in the 5th and [[10th Fleet]]s, however, preventing an effective Imperial pursuit and prompting Reinhard to admire the abilities of the 5th and 10th Fleet commanders. The Empire then withdrew, having achieved a propaganda victory by practically annihilating the Alliance's 11th Fleet. Some dismissed his artillery attack that decided the battle as just luck, but the fact remained that Reinhard's action was decisive in the victory. Thus his promotion to admiral was assured. ({{tbt|02}})<br />
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==Later military career==<br />
===The Battle of Legnica===<br />
[[File:Brunhild crest ONW (BD).jpg|thumb|210px|left|Future Imperial Supreme Flagship ''Brünhild'' ({{d|795|uc}})]]<br />
With the victory at the Third Battle of Tiamat, Reinhard was promoted to the Admiralty—becoming the youngest full admiral in the Galactic Empire. As an admiral, Reinhard was given command of a [[Lohengramm Fleet|fleet]] and his own, a one-of-a-kind warship, the ''[[Brünhild]]''—the bloodthirsty maiden. It was an experimental battleship, the only one of its class, constructed with advanced technologies that ignored to mass production costs. Among its various upgrades was advanced command and control equipment that allowed Reinhard to direct massive fleets of warships. The vessel did not have to wait long to see its first action, as Imperial Admiral Reinhard von Müsel was ordered to command his expeditionary fleet to Iserlohn. ({{tbt|2}}; {{ffc|1r|full}})<br />
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Upon arrival to the fortress, Reinhard von Müsel's expeditionary fleet was ordered to intercept an Alliance fleet that had approached the area in further in the Corridor by the commander-in-chief, Fleet Admiral Mückenberger. The recently arrived Imperial reinforcements were exhausted from the long journey to Iserlohn: the order to attack was a transparent attempt to get Reinhard killed: many of the nobility were jealous of Reinhard's favour with the Kaiser, believing he had been granted a command at such a young age solely because of his sister's influence. Reinhard encountered the Alliance fleet into the atmosphere of the planet [[Legnica]], a gas giant in the Tiamat Starzone. In the upper layers of the atmosphere, the ships of both fleets were forced to fight at extremely close-ranges, as sensors and communications were virtually non-functional. Reinhard ordered his fleet to engage the enemy in close combat for several minutes, having each ship fire all of its cannons as frequently as possible. This rapidly energized the upper layer of Legnica's atmosphere, creating a massive wind storm that propelled a great deal of the hydrogen and helium in the atmosphere upward. Reinhard then had his fleet rise up out of the atmosphere, where he then fired a single nuclear missile from the ''Brünhild'' to Legnica's core. When the nuclear warhead detonated, it ignited the atmosphere: the Alliance fleet took heavy damage in the ensuing firestorm. ({{mciss}})<br />
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Though Reinhard von Müsel had managed to inflict heavy losses on the Alliance fleet with only token losses to his own forces, he was not given proper credit for his victory, as the weather conditions were assumed by his superiors to have been a natural phenomenon and his victory attributed to luck. This further strengthened the perception that Reinhard was an incompetent commander who had only achieved his rank by "hiding under his sister's skirts", further encouraging contempt for him on behalf of the high nobles. ({{mciss}})<br />
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===The Fourth Battle of Tiamat===<br />
[[File:Kircheis Reinhard Mecklinger.jpg|thumb|210px|Reinhard, Kircheis, and chief of staff [[Ernest Mecklinger]] ({{d|795|uc}})]]<br />
The Free Planets Alliance chose to continue with their plans to assault Iserlohn Fortress despite their defeat at Legnica. The Imperial fleets stationed at Iserlohn, under the command of Gregor von Mückenberger, sailed forth to meet the Alliance fleet head on: Reinhard von Müsel's fleet was positioned at the left wing of the formation. Determined to be rid of the "Admiral of the Skirts" once and for all, Mückenberger ordered Reinhard's formation to advance on the Alliance fleets alone as a diversionary measure: the rest of the Imperial Fleet would maintain is position, meaning Reinhard's smaller force would be annihilated by the vastly more numerous Alliance ships. Reinhard complied with the order but staked his survival on a complete gamble. He advanced his fleet toward the enemy formation alone, but rather than open fire on them once he was in range, however, Reinhard had his entire fleet turn ninety degrees to the right. The blond admiral's fleet then slowly moved in front of the Alliance fleet, utterly exposed. Unable to comprehend why an enemy intentionally made itself so vulnerable, the Alliance fleet commanders refused to attack Reinhard's forces, believing his maneuver to be some sort of elaborate trick. Their inaction allowed Reinhard to position his forces along the left flank of the Alliance formation. ({{mciss}})<br />
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By the time they realized their error, the main Imperial Fleet had entered combat range, forcing the Alliance invasion force to deal with the main Imperial force, ignoring Reinhard's detachment. The Imperial fleet was roughly equal in size to the Alliance fleet, turning the battle into a violent brawl. Understanding he had been outsmarted by the young admiral, Mückenberger refused to ask Reinhard's fleet to attack: Mückenberger believed that he was similarly petty, and would not move to aid the besieged Imperial forces unless ordered to do so. Reinhard, however, realized that the gratitude of the thousands of soldiers whose lives he could save by attacking the Alliance flank far outweighed the ire he would earn from embarrassing Mückenberger. He ordered his fleet to attack, and in moments the Alliance forces were facing a rout. ({{mciss}})<br />
[[File:Yang under Brunhild 2.jpg|''Ulysses'' takes ''Brünhild'' hostage ({{d|795|uc}})|thumb|left|210px]]<br />
<br />
At this point, the Alliance forces decided they had no choice but to retreat. They were determined to launch a diversionary attack directly against Iserlohn Fortress, to draw off the bulk of the Imperial fleet and buy enough time for them to escape. {{rank|fpa|Commodore}} [[Yang Wen-li]] volunteered to lead the diversionary attack: he took a single battleship, the ''[[Ulysses]]'', with a skeleton crew along with 4 unmanned cruisers straight for Iserlohn. Using sensor decoys, Yang Wen-li was able to fool the Imperial Fleet into thinking he was leading a fleet of several thousand warships toward the undefended fortress. Mückenberger immediately ordered the fleet to go back to Iserlohn, and taking advantage of this opportunity, the Alliance began to retreat while inflicting additional losses upon the Imperial commander's main force. Fortunately, Reinhard immediately realized the Alliance fleet was a decoy operation, and managed to reveal this fact to Mückenberger. This prompted the Fleet Admiral to resume the attack on the Alliance forces, preventing them from retreating. Determined to save the lives of his fellow soldiers, Yang Wen-li then flew his battleship straight into the heart of the Imperial Fleet. There, he assumed a position immediately beneath the ''Brünhild'', effectively taking Reinhard von Müsel hostage. Reinhard ordered his forces to disregard his own safety and open fire on Yang Wen-li's ship, but they refused, with Captain [[Karl Robert Steinmetz]] saying that as the captain of the flagship he would not put it into unnecessary danger, a statement that Reinhard accepted. Mückenberger also did not fire, unwilling to risk the political damage of directly killing the brother of Kaiser Friedrich's favored concubine. Both the Imperial and Alliance fleets held fire on each other until they had passed, at which point Yang left the battlefield, monitored by Reinhard. ({{mciss}})<br />
<br />
After the Fourth Battle of Tiamat, Reinhard was promoted to High Admiral, and firmly established a reputation for himself as a brilliant tactician because of his actions during the engagement. Furthermore, Reinhard went to lengths to learn the name of the Alliance officer who had managed to open up a path to safety for the retreating Alliance forces, while at the same time Yang Wen-li had sought out the name of the commander of the white ship. From this point on, the rivalry with Yang Wen-li would help to define Reinhard's life. ({{mciss}})<br />
<br />
===Astarte and other developments===<br />
[[File:Conspiring.jpg|thumb|210px|The three military chiefs deciding on Reinhard's deployment ({{d|796|uc}})]]<br />
Having secured a reputation as a skilled military officer at Tiamat, Reinhard received a hero's welcome at the Imperial City on Odin, where he was promoted to {{rank|imperial|high admiral|lc}} and is formally granted the title of Count von Lohengramm by His Majesty the Kaiser. Although he did not expect to be deployed any time soon, the scheming of Duke Otto von Braunschweig, the most powerful aristocrat in the Empire, and other high nobles—who by that point had no choice but to acknowledge the young high admiral and despised him—resulted in the High Command Office deciding to send him back to the front. Not only that, but as he found out, most of his top officers in the [[Lohengramm Fleet]] (including chief of staff [[Ernest Mecklinger]], fleet commanders [[Oskar von Reuenthal]] and [[Wolfgang Mittermeyer]], and even the ''Brünhild'''s captain Steinmetz) were to be temporarily replaced by other commanders that he had not worked with for this operation. Although Kircheis was unenthusiastic, Reinhard was glad and saw it as an opportunity to gain even more accolades for advancement. He was ordered to lead a fleet of 20,000 vessels to invade Alliance space. However, the details were leaked by Duke von Braunschweig via [[Dominion of Fezzan|Fezzani]] leader [[Adrian Rubinsky]] to the Alliance government, and they dispatched the [[2nd Fleet]], [[4th Fleet]], and [[6th Fleet]] to counter him. ({{onw}})<br />
<br />
The fleet under Reinhard advanced towards the [[Astarte Starzone]]. The three Alliance fleets were divided and intended to attack the Imperial force from three sides, encircling the enemy formation in a repeat of the historical [[Battle of Dagon]], around 156 years earlier. Since the three different fleets, while greater in total number, were weaker than Reinhard's force on an individual level, he decided to speed up and annihilate each one of them individually before they could meet up. This resulted in the near-total destruction of the 4th and 6th Fleets before he attacked the 2nd Fleet, where the actions of Yang Wen-li, who took command upon Vice Admiral [[Paetta]] becoming injured, prevented it from suffering the same fate as its comrades. Nonetheless, the [[Battle of Astarte]] ended as an overwhelming Imperial victory despite the overall numerical inferiority of Reinhard's forces. Shortly after this victory he was promoted to rank of Fleet Admiral, an unprecedented achievement for someone of his age, and was made Vice Commander of the Imperial Space Fleet. In this position he commanded around a third of the fleets in the Empire, and after the fall of Iserlohn Fortress, he was put in charge of the war front on the Imperial side of the Iserlohn Corridor. Reinhard was also granted his own admiralty, and selected talented individuals he had encountered over his previous military service to staff his new command. These young commanders—commoners and lesser nobility—had previously been in low ranking positions, with their talents and initiative unrecognized and unappreciated by hierarchical and largely highborn senior officers. ({{logh|001|002|004|005|011}}, {{onw}})<br />
<br />
Among his admiralty were most notably Wolfgang Mittermeyer and Oskar von Reuenthal, who were known to be particularly talented fleet commanders. Their history with Reinhard went back further than that, however. On 2 May {{d|795|uc}}, Reuenthal visited Reinhard and Kircheis, asking them for assistance to free his best friend Mittermeyer. He had executed a noble-born subordinate for a crime against a civilian, following martial law, but since Mittermeyer was a commoner he was then illegally detained by some high nobles and kept in prison. Reuenthal confirmed his views on the state of the Goldenbaum Dynasty and subsequently pledged fealty to Reinhard in exchange for helping free Mittermeyer from the high nobles, which they did. Afterwards both of the young commanders became loyal followers of Reinhard, at least initially. ({{logh|075}})<br />
<br />
[[File:Reinhard 3.jpg|thumb|left|210px|Reinhard at Astarte ({{d|796|uc}})]]<br />
Shortly afterwards, Reinhard assigned his friend Kircheis (who was a rear admiral at the time) to lead the effort in suppressing the [[Castrop Rebellion]]. The Emperor had ordered the blond admiral to requisition [[Maximilian von Castrop]]'s wealth, stolen from the Imperial state, and to quell the noble's revolt. Reinhard made the decision to send Kircheis in his place so that he could gain his own accolades, to establish a reputation as a skilled tactician in his own right. The two developed a strategy to destroy Castrop's main defensive weapon, the [[Artemis Necklace]] (thought to be impregnable), which was to utilize a directional [[Seffle particle]] generator. The ploy worked, and upon the loss of the Necklace, Castrop's subordinates murdered him out of fear of Imperial reprisal. That way the "impregnable" planet was freed by Kircheis' work without the loss of a single life besides Castrop's, increasing his reputation as more than just Reinhard's shadow and joining the ranks of the vice admirals of the Lohengramm admiralty. Kircheis expressed disappointment to Reinhard at the death of the noble, to which Reinhard replied that he considered Kircheis to be a "good man." ({{logh|005}})<br />
<br />
After the [[Seventh Battle of Iserlohn]] (which occurred about five months after the victory at Astarte) and the loss of Iserlohn Fortress to the Alliance, the three Imperial Chiefs of Staff sought to resign from their positions: it was obvious that one of the vacancies would be given to Reinhard. Instead, when Kaiser Friedrich IV gave Reinhard the choice of any of the three vacant seats, Reinhard begged the Kaiser not to dismiss any of the Chiefs of Staff, urging him to be lenient: those responsible for the defeat had already been punished by their own actions. The minister of state and acting Imperial premier, [[Klaus von Lichtenlade]], agreed with Reinhard (taken aback by the young admiral's decision), and Friedrich IV determined not to punish anyone for the loss of the fortress. In return for Reinhard's unexpected intercession on their behalf the three Imperial Chiefs of Staff dropped any attempts to punish [[Paul von Oberstein]], a staff officer of the Iserlohn Stationed Fleet who had escaped the fall of the fortress, and whom Reinhard then took on as an advisor. Oberstein had proven himself to be capable in politics in a way that Reinhard and Kircheis were not, and was an ardent opponent of the Goldenbaum Dynasty. He, like Reuenthal and Mittermeyer, would prove to be an important player in the Lohengramm camp in the years to come. ({{logh|008}})<br />
<br />
===Alliance invasion of the Empire===<br />
[[File:Konigs sun.jpg|210px|thumb|Ships of the Imperial [[Black Lancers]] at Amritsar ({{d|796|uc}})]]<br />
When Yang Wen-li captured Iserlohn Fortress, he hoped that the Free Planets Alliance, whose economy was in shambles after more than a century of continual warfare, would seek an equitable peace treaty. Instead, the ruling [[High Council]] of the Alliance, motivated by political gain, and some overly ambitious junior officers under [[Andrew Falk]] who sought personal advancement, saw an opportunity to strike into the heart of the Empire and to 'liberate' the people of the Galactic Empire from their oppressors. As Vice Commander of the Imperial Fleet, Fleet Admiral Reinhard von Lohengramm was tasked with the [[Invasion of the Imperial Territory|defense of the Empire]] by Emperor Friedrich. At the counsel of his advisor, Paul von Oberstein, Reinhard pursued a "scorched earth" strategy. Rather than engage the invading Alliance fleets directly, he had Imperial warships remove all supplies from every world in the immediate path of the Alliance force, leaving the people to rely on the Alliance "liberators" to feed them. Because he knew the Alliance invasion hinged upon the idea of liberating the peasants from the Kaiser's rule, Reinhard correctly calculated that the Alliance occupation forces would need to feed the civilians—thus creating a strained and long line of supply from Iserlohn. Once this supply line was attacked and severed by Vice Admiral Siegfried Kircheis, the invading Alliance troops soon found themselves to be under-supplied and starving along with the Imperial civilians. The people of the occupied planets, though initially thankful for the liberation, soon turned on the occupying Alliance forces who had resorted to confiscating food from the civilians. ({{logh|012|013|014|015}})<br />
<br />
As the scattered Alliance fleets, suffering from the lack of supplies and a drop in morale, reached the height of their fatigue, the Imperial Fleet launched its counteroffensive. Although many of their commanders realized there was no chance of winning, they attempted to make a stand, but ultimately suffered heavy losses before succumbing to Reinhard's stratagem. However, due to the speed and swiftness of these attacks, only three of the Alliance fleets were able to maintain combat capability (Yang's [[13th Fleet|13th]], Bucock's 5th, and [[Appleton]]'s [[8th Fleet|8th]]), the others all being destroyed, severely diminished, or having surrendered. Meanwhile, the commander-in-chief of the Alliance expeditionary force, Fleet Admiral [[Lassalle Lobos]], unwilling to relinquish his gains or admit defeat in the invasion, ordered all remaining forces to gather at the [[Amritsar Starzone]] in an attempt battle the combined Imperial Fleet directly ''en masse''. Reinhard was more than willing to oblige. At the [[Battle of Amritsar]], Reinhard personally led the obliteration of the Free Planets Alliance invasion force. After the loss of much of the 8th and 5th Fleets, the 13th Fleet and the surviving remnants of the others managed to withdraw due to Yang's tactics and cooperation with Bucock. Despite the Empire's ultimate victory, Reinhard was nonetheless frustrated with Yang being able to prevent him from achieving "total victory" over the remaining Alliance forces, taking out his anger on vice admiral [[Fritz Joseph Bittenfeld]] for a tactical blunder he made during the battle until Kircheis advised him to not make enemies of his subordinates. ({{logh|015}})<br />
<br />
Following their disastrous defeat, the devastated Alliance forces withdrew to Iserlohn Fortress with Yang's 13th Fleet remaining the only combat capable formation out of those that had taken part in the invasion. The Alliance had lost around two-thirds of its military strength, over twenty million troops. However, any thought of celebration in the Empire was quickly muted by a surprising development: the death of the Emperor from a heart attack. ({{logh|015|016}})<br />
<br />
===The Imperial Civil War===<br />
[[File:Erwin Josef II coronation.png|thumb|210px|left|Reinhard and Lichtenlade at the coronation of Erwin Josef ({{d|796|uc}})]]<br />
No sooner had the Free Planets Alliance been routed at Amritsar, did Reinhard learn that Kaiser Friedrich IV had died peacefully in his sleep, thus robbing Reinhard of his vengeance. There was no official heir-apparent since Crown Prince [[Ludwig]]'s death some years ago, thus it was inevitable that a struggle would occur over the throne between the Kaiser's immediate grandchildren: [[Elisabeth von Braunschweig]], [[Sabine von Littenheim]], and [[Erwin Josef II|Erwin Josef von Goldenbaum]]. The first two hailed from the two most powerful aristocratic families in the Empire, while Erwin Josef (five years old at the time) was the son of the deceased Crown Prince. Kaiser Friedrich's former minister of state and prime minister, Klaus von Lichtenlade, wanted to see the boy on the throne in order to be able to use him, rather than let either Otto von Braunschweig or Wilhelm von Littenheim take his position. Thus he sought Reinhard's assistance, as being a civil servant he had no military forces of his own. Paul von Oberstein foresaw this and thus Reinhard chose to support Lichtenlade, although both harbored no illusions that they were merely using each other. Lichtenlade became the Imperial regent and elevated his peerage to Duke, while Reinhard gained the title of . ({{logh|016}})<br />
<br />
It was also during this time that he first met [[Hildegard von Mariendorf]], the daughter of Count [[Franz von Mariendorf]], a high noble family that decided to side with him in the coming struggle rather than Braunschweig. Hildegard visited him shortly before the beginning of the conflict and pledged her family's fealty to him, in exchange for a guarantee of their wealth and territory. She would play an important role in rallying some [[Nobility#Reformer Nobles|reformist nobles]] to Reinhard's camp. ({{logh|018}})<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, many of the high nobles saw this as a blatant attempt by Reinhard and Lichtenlade to usurp the Imperial throne from the Goldenbaum family, the final straw in what they saw as Reinhard's treason against the dynasty. These reactionary nobles, led by Duke von Braunschweig and Prince von Littenheim, rallied and created their own organization to counter the influence of the Lohengramm–Lichtenlade axis and defend the old order, becoming known as the [[Lippstadt League]]. Their combined arms and wealth were greater than those of the central government, and so Reinhard struck preemptively in an attempt to pacify them. While they did seize control of government buildings and arrested some high nobles, the majority managed to escape, including Braunschweig and Littenheim. They gathered on [[Geiersburg Fortress]], their new headquarters, and named the renowned Imperial High Admiral [[Willibald Joachim von Merkatz]] as the commander-in-chief of the Lippstadt allied forces. As they were revolting against the child Kaiser, Reinhard had the nobles named the "Rebel Forces" in official documents, the same name that the Empire had used to refer to the Free Planets Alliance ever since the [[Battle of Dagon]] over 150 years earlier. Lichtenlade's government named Reinhard von Lohengramm the holder of all three offices of the Imperial Chiefs of Staff simultaneously, making him the Imperial Fleet Supreme Commander. ({{logh|016|018}})<br />
<br />
[[File:Reinhard 4.jpg|thumb|210px|Reinhard during the civil war ({{d|797|uc}})]]<br />
Reinhard himself oversaw the main operation against Geiersburg Fortress, while leaving his friend High Admiral Kircheis to pacify the noble-controlled frontier and other sectors. Under his command, the loyalist Imperial forces were able to drive the Lippstadt fleet back towards Geiersburg in the [[Freya Starzone]], where the high nobles took refuge in the fortress. Eventually, they left and attempted to [[Assault on Geiersburg Fortress|break the siege]], only to be beaten back. However, the Imperial Fleet's success over the numerically superior Lippstadt forces led to the nobles becoming increasingly aggravated. Whena revolt occurred on the planet [[Westerland]] and the local lord, [[Scheidt|a relative]] of Duke von Braunschweig, was murdered by his subjects, he ordered a nuclear strike on the planet. The Duke ignored the advice of his commanders and the attack was launched. Reinhard initially wanted to intercept it, but procrastinated in making a final decision as Oberstein wanted to let it go ahead and use it for propaganda purposes against the nobles. Oberstein did not tell Reinhard the correct time in which the attack would reach the planet, and it happened before he made a decision. A reconnaissance ship documented the [[Westerland Massacre|massacre]] and the images were beamed throughout the Empire, eliminating any of the popular support that the Lippstadt League might of had. However, the fact that Reinhard essentially played a role in this tragedy would haunt him for the rest of his life. ({{logh|020|022|089}})<br />
<br />
Not long after that, the nobles in Geiersburg became increasingly depressed while the fortress garrison became restless and began to rebel. Braunschweig decided to lead his forces in a final charge against the enemy, only for it to be routed. After he arrived at the fortress, a mass mutiny broke out among the troops and the Duke himself was forced to commit suicide by his chief retainer, Commodore [[Ansbach]]. Reinhard then arrived triumphantly at Geiersburg as the final resistance had ceased. However, when Ansbach presented the Duke's body to the victorious Reinhard, he pulled out a hidden weapon from within Braunschweig's corpse and attempted to fire at the young admiral. Siegfried Kircheis immediately attempted to shield Reinhard, and was killed as a result. Reinhard went into a inconsolable depression, and refused to see anyone. Seeing this, his admirals decided to take matters into their own hands. At the advice of Paul von Oberstein, both the assassination attempt and the murder of Kircheis were blamed on the Imperial Regent, Klaus von Lichtenlade. Reinhard's subordinates subsequently sent their fleets to the capital, Odin, to arrest Lichtenlade. ({{logh|023|025|026}})<br />
<br />
As Reinhard remained on Geiersburg, the Imperial fleets landed on Odin and seized control of the capital. Lichtenlade was arrested and forced to commit suicide, while the [[Imperial Seal]] was retrieved and transferred to Reinhard himself, thereby firmly established his new and total authority over the Empire. However, this victory was blackened by the death of Kircheis and the subsequent decision by his sister Annerose into withdrawing into seclusion on Odin, feeling guilty over her brother's friend's death. His remark to Oskar von Reuenthal over the fate of the defeated Lichtenlade's family, that he could also try challenging him if he felt he could do it, would also be the beginning of an emotional crisis in Reuenthal that would see its conclusion years later in a dramatic fashion. ({{logh|026}})<br />
<br />
==Prime minister==<br />
===Reforming the Reich===<br />
[[File:PMresidence.png|thumb|210px|Jubilant crowds in front of Prime Minister Lohengramm's [[Prime Minister's official residence|office]], Odin ({{d|798|uc}})]]<br />
With the fall of both Lichtenlade and the high nobles, Reinhard was left as the single most powerful figure in the country, and after being appointed Prime Minister of the Galactic Empire (simultaneously as the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet), Reinhard set about implementing drastic reforms. He received help from reformist nobles such as [[Hildegarde von Mariendorf]], [[Eugen Richter]], and [[Karl Braque]], the latter two being cabinet ministers who gave up their noble titles to serve Reinhard. The child Emperor Erwin Josef II was not a threat and was essentially a puppet, and thus Prime Minister Duke von Lohengramm became the ''de facto'' dictator of the Empire. Among those reforms he instituted early on, starting in January {{d|798|uc}}, were nationalizing the wealth of the defeated high nobles, which alleviated the Empire's economic problems in a single decision, as well as abolishing the traditional class system itself—much to the support of the common people. The promotion of civil liberties and other rights that would have been unthinkable just a couple of years ago became the new norm. Although the Goldenbaum Dynasty ''de jure'' remained in power, its foundations were effectively being swept away. However, despite his success in seizing control of the Empire, Reinhard continued to suffer an emotional crisis over the death of Kircheis and the withdrawal of his sister Annerose into seclusion as a result of Kircheis' death. ({{logh|027}})<br />
<br />
At the same time, during this early period of reform, the Lohengramm government became entangled in the plots of the Fezzani autonomous region leader, [[Adrian Rubinsky]]. Seeing that the Empire had been strengthened by its [[Imperial Civil War|civil war]] while the [[Alliance Civil War|one]] in the Alliance had weakened it, he decided to allow the Empire to conquer the devastated Alliance so that Fezzan could seize control of this new regime. To that effect, their first plan was to pitch the idea of putting warp-capable engines on Geiersburg Fortress and using it to attack Iserlohn, sending the information regarding that plan to the Imperial Fleet's science and technology inspector general, Admiral [[Anton Hilmer von Schaft]]. Schaft proposed the plan and it was accepted by Reinhard, but not with much enthusiasm, as the public and the Imperial leadership were largely not in favor of any more war and would rather have a period of rebuilding. Nonetheless, Reinhard authorized the plan to mobilize Geiersburg Fortress to Iserlohn, and the testing the new engines was successful on 18 March {{d|798|uc}}. At the same time, unbeknownst to Reinhard or the Empire, the Fezzanis had gone to work in arranging that Yang Wen-li, who had been appointed as commander-in-chief, Iserlohn, was summoned by the Alliance government away from the fortress before the Imperial attack. After Reinhard gave the order, Geiersburg entered the Iserlohn Corridor on April 10. ({{logh|028|029|030|031}})<br />
<br />
Even as the Geiersburg deployment was playing out, the Fezzanis hatched yet another scheme to keep the Alliance and Empire from realizing that they could coexist and make it inevitable that one had to destroy the other. As part of this scheme, two former Lippstadt League veterans who were living in exile on Fezzan, Count [[Alfred von Landsberg]] and Captain [[Leopold Schumacher]], were hired by Rubinsky's aide [[Rupert Kesserling]] to kidnap the child Emperor and bring him to the Alliance, where they would set up a "legitimate" [[Galactic Empire Legitimate Government|government-in-exile]] with the other high nobles. Ultimately, the Iserlohn garrison was able to hold out without Yang, and he eventually returned. At that point, the combined Alliance forces were able to defeat the Imperial invaders and destroy Geiersburg. This defeat enraged Reinhard, who had not expected [[Karl Gustav Kempff]] to lose 90% of his forces in this attempt. The young Imperial dictator had appointed Kempff to the position of Geiersburg commander, but had remarked he was the kind of admiral who was no longer useful if he lived too long. Although he outwardly mourned the demise of Kempff, it still made one of his chief retainers, High Admiral Oskar von Reuenthal, uneasy, and set the early seeds of what would manifest itself years later. But Reinhard remembered Kircheis, and how he would have urged restraint on Reinhard's part, and thus decided not to punish Kempff's returning second-in-command, Neidhart Müller. ({{logh|029|030|033|035}})<br />
<br />
===The Emperor's Abduction===<br />
[[File:Kaiserine Catherine coronation.png|thumb|210px|left|Prime Minister Lohengramm announcing the coronation of Empress Catherine ({{d|798|uc}})]]<br />
With the loss of the Geiersburg Fortress and the [[Kempff Fleet]] last spring, the Imperial public was largely against the idea of any further extended warfare, to Reinhard's annoyance. But the Fezzani plan that had been put in motion would culminate during the summer of {{d|798|uc}} and make another confrontation inevitable. In June, the Prime Minister was informed by the Military Police chief Ulrich Kesler that Landsberg and Schumacher arrived on the Imperial capital with Fezzani passports. He orders them to be tracked and after some discussions with his secretary, Hildegarde von Mariendorf, he summoned Fezzan's ambassador on Odin, [[Nicholas Boltik]]. Reinhard deduced the essence of the Fezzani plot to kidnap the child Kaiser, and essentially made a deal to go along with their plan to help him conquer the Alliance, with the kidnapping and the government-in-exile that would be created providing the necessary ''casus belli''. Both men left the discussion being convinced that they were successfully using each other, although Boltik did not surmise the extent of Reinhard's own plan, which was to use the demilitarized Fezzan Corridor to take the Alliance by surprise and avoid attacking Iserlohn. Boltik said he would ask his government about it, but Reinhard secretly made up his mind to seize control of it forcefully. ({{logh|036}})<br />
<br />
Because of this, Reinhard basically permitted Landsberg and Schumacher to go ahead and kidnap the Emperor. On the night of July 6–7, the two Lippstadt veterans carry out their plan and kidnap Erwin Josef II from his palace. Fezzan arranged for them to be taken by a smuggler through the Fezzan Corridor to the Alliance, where they used their influence to make sure the Alliance government under [[Job Trunicht]] went along with their plan. Meanwhile, the young Imperial leader declared a state of emergency and convened a meeting of the High Command, in which he told his admirals to place their fleets into immediate combat readiness. Later, a broadcast from the Alliance revealed the composition of the new "Galactic Empire Legitimate Government" under the Kaiser and led by premier [[Jochen von Remscheid]], a high noble Lippstadt supporter and former Imperial high commissioner to Fezzan. Trunicht also stated the Free Planets Alliance's willingness to assist the former Goldenbaum loyalists in a united front against Reinhard. On August 20, Reinhard officially confirmed the kidnapping of Erwin Josef II and denounced the Alliance government for its responsibility in this matter, thus essentially declaring war. ({{logh|036|037|038}})<br />
<br />
On September 20, Reinhard von Lohengramm proclaimed the abdication of the kidnapped Erwin Josef II, and named eight-month old infant [[Catherine von Goldenbaum]] as his successor on the throne, making her the Empire's first Kaiserin, as well as the 38th and last Goldenbaum monarch. ({{logh|041}})<br />
<br />
===Operation Ragnarök: Fall of the Alliance===<br />
[[File:Reinhard sun(DVD-CA).jpg|thumb|210px|Reinhard arriving on occupied Fezzan ({{d|799|uc}})]]<br />
An invasion plan was quickly developed by Reinhard and his admirals, which was based on using the Fezzan Corridor to invade the Alliance. Boltik decided to cooperate with Reinhard and was to be appointed as the interim governor-general of Fezzan after its occupation. Reinhard then officially announced an operation against Iserlohn, while leaving out the part of their plan to invade Fezzan (which Yang Wen-li foresaw, but was ignored by his government). On the same day that Empress Catherine I was put on the throne, High Admiral Oskar von Reuenthal led a fleet to attack Iserlohn Fortress. The attack served its purpose, to distract the Alliance leadership, while the bulk of Reinhard von Lohengramm's fleets then entered the Fezzan Corridor. In December of {{d|798|uc}}, High Admiral Wolfgang Mittermeyer, the Gale Wolf, successfully invaded and occupied the Dominion of Fezzan, taking Rubinsky completely by surprise and forcing him to go into hiding. Once the planet was firmly under the control of Mittermeyer's forces (although Rubinsky was able to evade capture), the rest of Reinhard's fleets entered Fezzani space. When Duke Reinhard von Lohengramm disembarked the ''Brünhild'' on Fezzan's surface, he was met by the loud cheering of tens of thousands of Imperial sailors, all chanting, 'Sieg mein Kaiser! Sieg Kaiser Reinhard!' The young Imperial dictator celebrated New Year's with his officers on Fezzan before continuing the campaign. ({{logh|041|042|043|044}})<br />
<br />
The first stage of [[Operation Ragnarök]], to secure Fezzan while launching a distraction near Iserlohn, was completed and set the Alliance people and government into a panic. The combined defeats at Astarte, Amritsar, and the civil war had effectively destroyed most of the Free Planets Star Fleet's fighting forces, leaving the [[Yang Fleet]] on Iserlohn and the [[1st Fleet]] on Heinessen as the only combat capable formations. Although the Fleet General Staff Office gave Yang clearance to "do what you think is best", in other words giving him permission to abandon Iserlohn and to come fight against the main Imperial force, some time was necessary for this to be carried out. Meanwhile, the 1st Fleet set forth from the Alliance capital to meet the advancing Imperial forces (the [[Mittermeyer Fleet]] entered Alliance space from the Fezzan Corridor on 8 January {{d|799|uc}}), along with various reserve and systems defense squadrons that collectively became the [[14th Fleet]] and [[15th Fleet]]. This new Combined Fleet was under overall command of Admiral Bucock, the commander-in-chief of the Space Fleet. The two forces clashed in the [[Battle of Rantemario]] (February {{d|799|uc}}), and despite being outnumbered the Alliance forces put up a fierce resistance that ultimately failed to achieve its objective of defeating the Imperials. The Yang Fleet, leaving Iserlohn Fortress for Reuenthal to retake, was not able to arrive in time to prevent them from being defeated, but did distract the Imperial Fleet with an attack from the rear to give time for the surviving Alliance vessels under Bucock to withdraw, and in the coming weeks Admiral Yang waged a guerrilla war against the Imperial invaders. ({{logh|044|045|046|048|049}})<br />
<br />
The Alliance Secretary of Defense [[Walter Islands]] agreed to Yang's plan of using harassment raids on Imperial supply convoys and defeating other Imperial fleets to draw out Reinhard and kill him in battle, which could end the Imperial invasion. Yang was able to successfully destroy the poorly-guarded supply convoy, much to Reinhard's annoyance, who had Rear Admiral [[Sombart]] punished for his failure to defend it. The young Alliance hero was also able to defeat other second-tier admirals under Reinhard, deliberately avoiding Reuenthal and Mittermeyer (Reinhard's "twin pillars"), and finally got Reinhard to decide to draw out Yang by coming to battle himself. ({{logh|049|050}})<br />
<br />
===The Battle of Vermilion===<br />
[[File:Yang Reinhard Vermilion encounter.jpg|thumb|left|210px|The two fleets at Vermillion ({{d|799|uc}})]]<br />
Since the Alliance hoped that that Reinhard's death could cause the Galactic Empire to fragment into another civil war and knowing this, the young conqueror dispersed his admirals, keeping only a relatively small main fleet with himself. He hoped that by using himself as bait he would draw Yang into an open confrontation. This strategy succeeded, and the two opposing fleets reached each other in the [[Vermillion Starzone]] on April 24. In the [[Battle of Vermillion]], Reinhard chose to use attrition tactics to wear down the Alliance forces, however, after Yang was unable to reach the ''Brünhild'', he tried to use a different approach. He used several asteroids from a nearby asteroid field and use his vessels to launch them towards Reinhard's formation, which was then thrown into disarray. However, while Yang then continued towards Reinhard's now exposed flagship, the [[Müller Fleet]] arrived in the system (the first Imperial unit to return) and prevented the Alliance from breaking through. Thus Niedhart Müller redeemed himself for the Geiersburg failure last year, and secured a reputation as the third most capable fleet commander after Reuenthal and Mittermeyer, becoming known as "Iron Wall" Müller. ({{logh|051|052}})<br />
<br />
However, the Müller Fleet was caught in an encirclement along with the bulk of Reinhard's remaining forces by the Alliance, and Yang led a detachment to attack the ''Brünhild''. It was the first tactical defeat in battle that Reinhard faced in his life. However, before they could open fire and finish him off, the Alliance fleet suddenly received an order to stand down and ask for a ceasefire. Hildegard von Mariendorf had foreseen Yang's victory over Reinhard because she believed he was a better tactician, and had asked Reuenthal and Mittermeyer to take their forces to seize the undefended Heinessen, the capital, and forced the Alliance government to surrender. The plan succeeded and the [[High Council]] under Trunicht completely surrendered, ordering Yang to stand down. Yang, although urged by subordinates like [[Walter von Schönkopf]] to fire anyway, decided to obey the order and asked Reinhard for a ceasefire. Soon after, the battle was over and more Imperial fleets began returning to the Vermillion Starzone. The battle became the first and only tactical defeat of Reinhard in his life, although it was ultimately an Imperial strategic victory thanks to Hildegard von Mariendorf's actions. ({{logh|052|053}})<br />
<br />
==New Galactic Empire==<br />
===Establishing a new state===<br />
[[File:Reinhard with crown at throne (BD).jpg|thumb|210px|Reinhard with the crown at his coronation ({{d|799|uc}})]]<br />
Shortly after the battle, Yang boarded a shuttle and arrived on the ''Brünhild'', where he discussed philosophy with Reinhard regarding democracy versus dictatorship, and the two left the discussion agreeing to disagree. In the end, Yang declined Reinhard's offer to make him an Imperial Fleet Admiral, while Reinhard maintained the belief that Yang would have been willing to give up on the Alliance and join him. The young Imperial leader allowed Yang to depart and gave him assurances that he would not exact any revenge on Alliance politicians or military officers. Having secured the Alliance government's surrender, one of the final acts of the Lohengramm government under Goldenbaum rule was to conclude the signing of the [[Treaty of Ba'alat]], which essentially made the Alliance a client state of the Empire. Reinhard himself returned to Odin after appointing [[Helmut Lennenkampf]] as the Imperial consul on Heinessen and on 20 June {{D|799|uc}}, Duke [[Jürgen Offer von Pegnitz]], the father and Imperial regent of the young Kaiserin, signed a letter of abdication on her behalf, seceding her position to the blond admiral. Thus ended the nearly five hundred-year history of the Goldenbaum Dynasty. His coronation as the Kaiser was on June 22, held with a modest ceremony organized by Count [[Franz von Mariendorf]] (Hildegard's father), that Reinhard said would serve as a template from then on as opposed to the pompous and wasteful Goldenbaum era national ceremonies. With his victory over the Alliance, he had become the first [[Goldenlöwe Dynasty]] Kaiser of the [[New Galactic Empire]] and most powerful individual in the galaxy. However, Reinhard was disappointed that the two people he wanted to see there the most—Kircheis and Annerose—were not there. ({{logh|054|055}})<br />
<br />
In the weeks after the coronation, he accelerated the internal reforms that he began as Prime Minister of the previous dynasty. Reinhard chose to continue on as the head of government himself while also being head of state, naming Count Franz von Mariendorf as his deputy, the Minister of State. The young ruler later lamented that had Kircheis been alive, he could have focused solely on political affairs while leaving his friend to manage the military. Reinhard appointed Minister of Industry [[Bruno von Silberberch]] to design the new Imperial City on Fezzan, revealing that he intended to move the Imperial capital there from Odin. He also commissioned the minister of education, Professor [[Seeferd]], to write an official history of the Goldenbaum Dynasty, and later reviewed the formerly secret, now declassified information on Goldenbaum emperors that Seeferd had uncovered. Around the same time, Paul von Oberstein—now the Minister of Military Affairs under the new dynasty—suggested to Reinhard to idea of getting married and producing an heir to secure his rule. However, he implied that the most likely candidate, Hildegard, was not fit for the role as he did not want her to monopolize affairs of the state and become another Kircheis, in essence. Reinhard dismissed such worries from Oberstein and did not take his suggestion too seriously at the time. ({{logh|055|057|058|059}})<br />
<br />
However, during that period, Reinhard paid a visit to the terminally-ill Baron [[Heinrich von Kümmel]]'s estate, as a favor for Count von Mariendorf, who was his guardian. However, the event ended badly when Kümmel tried to take Reinhard hostage with some explosives installed in his backyard under their dining table. He did it mainly out a desire to not die without being remembered for something in history, but the event had actually been organized by the [[Terraism|Terraist Church]]. The assassination attempt on the Kaiser failed, however, when Reinhard hit the bomb detonation switch out of the Baron's hand. The plot resulted in Reinhard ordering the persecution of the Terraist Church, a religion that was previously tolerated by the Empire. Despite [[Internal Security Department]] chief [[Heydrich Lang]], a subordinate of interior minister [[Osmayer]], protesting that they needed more time to conduct a full investigation, Reinhard decided to shut it down by force. Its Odin branch was shut down by force, and soon the new Kaiser ordered an expedition to [[Earth]], the Church headquarters, in order to pacify the group of fanatics for their attempt on his life. For this task he assigned Admiral [[August Samuel Wahlen]]. The Mariendorfs, who were temporarily put under house arrest after the incident, were reinstated in their offices by an edict from the Kaiser and any talk about their involvement in treasonous activity was banned. ({{logh|057|058}})<br />
<br />
===War with Earth and Lennenkampf affair===<br />
[[File:ImperialWAFVgunhatch.jpg|thumb|left|210px|Imperial soldiers subjugating the Earth Church on Odin ({{d|799|uc}})]]<br />
Wahlen was dispatched to Earth by Reinhard shortly after the assassination plot, and he managed to successfully subjugate the planet, although the Terraist ideology did not die out completely. Wahlen himself nearly became the victim of an assassination plot by the Terraists and had to get a prosthetic arm after being stabbed with a poisonous knife. Meanwhile, a situation was developing in the Alliance which would soon become a headache for Reinhard. The Imperial consul assigned to Heinessen became increasingly hostile towards the retired Yang Wen-li, who was living a quiet life as a pensioner, due to rumors about his involvement with anti-Imperial resistance groups and hysteria from the incumbent Alliance administration under [[João Rebelo]] (Trunicht's successor, who resigned after Vermillion). The situation deteriorated when a resistance cell established by Yang immediately after Vermillion—led by High Admiral Willibald Joachim von Merkatz, the former Lippstadt commander who defected to the Alliance after the Imperial Civil War and served as Yang's ally—had hijacked decommissioned Alliance warships on 17 July {{d|799|uc}}. Lennenkampf was worried about Yang's intentions and the postwar Alliance government's ability to keep stability in the client state. ({{logh|054|058|060|063}})<br />
<br />
Oberstein spoke with the Imperial consul and told him that Yang should be arrest preemptively so that Reinhard can use the subsequent uprising from anti-Imperial groups that would be the result as an excuse to completely annex the Alliance. Meanwhile, Supreme Council Chairman Rebelo decided to arrest him first to not give the New Empire a chance to intervene. This ended up causing members of the elite Rosen Ritter regiment—against whom Reinhard fought back in his days as a mere commodore in the Imperial Fleet, on Van-Fleet—to rise up and kidnap Rebelo on Heinessen. They took him hostage and used it to secure their escape, although the government decided to try to execute the arrested Yang regardless. However, the Rosen Ritter freed Yang and escaped from the planet after storming the Imperial consulate and taking Lennenkampf himself hostage. With the consul as their hostage, the rebels were able to depart from Heinessen. Unbeknownst to the rest of the public, Lennenkampf actually committed suicide in his cell, but the just pretended that he was still alive to get away. Although Reinhard did not immediately react to the events that unfolded on Heinessen, he did formalize his plan to move the Imperial capital to Fezzan from Odin around the same time, indicating he intended to eventually annex the Alliance completely. ({{logh|060|061|062|065}})<br />
<br />
In the midst of this, the planet [[El Facil]] declared independence from the Alliance and became an independent state on August 13, and began trying to aggressively recruit Fleet Admiral Yang. The Rebelo administration denounced this move and thus El Facil became isolated. However, shortly after that a report on the situation from Admiral Steinmetz and the head of the Imperial consulate on Heinessen since Lennenkampf's death, Vice Admiral [[Sahm]], explained to Reinhard what had occurred, and the Kaiser made his decision. Given the rift between Yang and the Alliance administration, Reinhard again considered the possibility of Yang joining him. That was why in his official broadcast on November 10 explaining the events on Heinessen to the public, he left an open offer for Yang to join him, condemning the Alliance government for selling out both Lennenkampf and Yang. The Kaiser also announced that the Treaty of Ba'alat had been violated, and this could only be rectified with force. The next day he announced to his admirals the personnel decisions for the second Ragnarök operation. ({{logh|065|066|067}})<br />
<br />
===Ragnarök again===<br />
[[File:Brunhild.jpg|thumb|210px|''Brünhild'' at Marr-Adetta ({{d|800|uc}})]]<br />
While Yang ended up deciding to go to El Facil and planned to retake Iserlohn Fortress, Reinhard commanded the main Imperial fleet on its march into Alliance space for a second time, in December {{d|799|uc}}. In January the fleet engaged the remnants of the Free Planets Star Fleet under Alexandre Bucock's command, who utilized the dangerous terrain of the [[Marr-Adetta Starzone]] to his advantage in order to make up for the vast numerical difference. After brief encounters in a corridor running through an asteroid belt, Bucock's fleet attacked the Imperial formation from the rear. They were able to break through the Müller Fleet towards Reinhard's flagship only to be surrounded by the Imperial forces. Reinhard, on the suggestion of Hildegard von Mariendorf, offered Bucock a chance to surrender, but the old man refused, instead choosing annihilation. Afterwards, the young kaiser was enraged when heard of Lutz's loss of Iserlohn Fortress to Yang Wen-li, but decided to ignore it for now and continue on to Heinessen. ({{logh|068|069|070|071}})<br />
<br />
On 9 February {{d|800|Uc}}, Reinhard became the first emperor to set foot on Heinessen, as the Free Planets Alliance unconditionally surrendered to the New Empire. On February 20, the 273-year history of the Alliance is ended, with the state being annexed by the New Galactic Empire. Among his first acts was to have Alliance Joint Operations HQ chief Admiral [[Rockwell]] executed, who had killed Supreme Council Chairman Rebelo in the hope of buying security from Reinhard. Quite the opposite, he acquired the Kaiser's hatred for committing such a shameless act. Reinhard immediately contemplated a campaign against the [[El Facil Revolutionary Government]], or more specifically, Yang Wen-li at Iserlohn. However, an incident that demanded the Kaiser's attention prevented any immediate military action against the republicans. The scheming [[Heydrich Lang]], head of the [[Internal Security Department]] and one of the few Goldenbaum era high officials to keep a post under Reinhard's new regime, accused the Chief of the High Command Office, Oskar von Reuenthal, of being guilty of treason. The circumstances surrounding Reuenthal's relationship to a woman of the deposed Lichtenlade clan, [[Elfriede von Kohlrausch]], became the main 'evidence' of treason. Remembering the heterochromatic admiral's pledge of fealty back in {{d|795|uc}}, Reinhard did not agree with Lang's accusations against one of his most important vassals, one of the Twin Pillars of the Goldenlöwe Dynasty, and reinstated Reuenthal. Instead of remaining as Chief of High Command, however, he was instead granted another post by the Kaiser—that of Governor-General of the [[Neue Land|former Alliance territories]]. Although this was Kaiser Reinhard recognizing Reuenthal's loyalty and service, it ultimately would lead to tragedy in the future. ({{logh|073|074|075|076}})<br />
<br />
===The Battle of the Corridor===<br />
[[File:Corridor beam barrage.jpg|left|thumb|210px|The Imperial fleet entering the Corridor ({{d|800|uc}})]]<br />
Having secured the Alliance territories and leaving them to Reuenthal's administration, the Kaiser ordered his admirals [[Fritz Joseph Bittenfeld]] and [[Adalbert von Fahrenheit]] to secure the space around the Iserlohn Corridor. Their fleets departed on 23 March {{d|800|uc}}. A terrorist bombing occurred on Fezzan in April that resluted in the death of industry minister Silberberch, while Oberstein and Cornelius Lutz escaped with minor injuries. Reinhard continued with the Iserlohn operation, however. Before the Kaiser could arrive at the front, Bittenfeld and Fahrenheit disobeyed his orders and engaged the Yang Fleet ("El Facil Revolutionary Reserve Force"), being led by [[Dusty Attemborough]]'s squadron into the corridor. Ultimately, the Imperial force was defeated by Yang's tactics and Fahrenheit became the first high admiral of the new dynasty to be killed in battle. Outraged at the result and that they did not wait for his arrival, Reinhard still did not punish Bittenfeld and had Fahrenheit be posthumously promoted to fleet admiral. ({{logh|076|077|079}})<br />
<br />
Attemborough's squadron had lined the entrance to the Iserlohn Corridor with mines, though the Empire used directional Seffle particles to break through it and attack the Yang Fleet. After some fighting, the El Facil Revolutionary Reserve Force used the narrow confines of the corridor to its advantage and nearly reached the Imperial Supreme Flagship, resulting in the death of High Admiral Karl Robert Steinmetz. They were unable to reach Reinhard, though, and the battle fell into a stalemate. Bittenfeld's [[Black Lancers]] unknowingly killed [[Edwin Fischer]], Yang's deputy fleet commander and specialist in fleet maneuvers, severely crippling the Yang Fleet's ability to continue a coordinated fight. However, before the Imperial Fleet could deliver the ''coup de grâce'' to the remaining Alliance forces—suffering from less personnel and supplies—Kaiser Reinhard fell ill and requested a ceasefire with Yang. Admiral Yang and his colleagues accepted the Imperial offer, as their intention had been to last long enough to "win" a peace treaty with the New Empire. Reinhard later revealed that his memories of Kircheis were what led him to declare a ceasefire, claiming that Kircheis told him to become a friend of his constant rival. ({{logh|080|081|082}})<br />
<br />
However, Yang never made it to the peace talks: his cruiser, ''[[Leda II]]'', was intercepted by Imperial destroyers crewed by Terraist sympathizers, who used their disguises to get aboard and kill Yang, among many others. He died of blood loss on 1 June {{d|800|uc}}. The Kaiser was devastated by Yang's death, as he believed only he had the right to kill the man who had outwitted him on multiple occasions. In the end, the young monarch sent High Admiral Müller as his representative to the Iserlohn republicans to express condolences and discuss the future relations between the Empire and the republican faction, as the El Facil Revolutionary Government chose to disband itself, thus forcing Yang's successors to establish the [[Iserlohn Republic]]. Reinhard himself continued to manage Imperial political affairs from his sickbed, regretting that he had few political experts equivalent to his admirals' capability in military affairs. Because of this the Kaiser lamented the deaths of Bruno von Silberberch, a potential candidate for the post of prime minister, and Kircheis, to whom he could have left the management of the military while focusing on civil administration. ({{logh|082|083|084}})<br />
<br />
===Political intrigues===<br />
[[File:Capital transfer order.jpg|thumb|210px|Kaiser Reinhard announcing the moving of the capital ({{d|800|uc}})]]<br />
Although Reinhard did not recognize the Republic, he made no move to attack it, as with Yang's death it became mostly irrelevant to him. The Iserlohn faction lost a large number of personnel, who decided to leave upon the loss of Admiral Yang. But the political chaos in the galaxy was not over. As the Kaiser gave the official order to transfer the Imperial Capital from Odin to Fezzan, his admirals became entangled with the meddling of Heydrich Lang in political affairs, who was secretly in contact with Fezzani leader Rubinsky. Reinhard also reluctantly granted the disgraced Alliance politician Job Trunicht a post as a senior councilor at the Neue Land Governor-General's Office, initially expecting him to refuse to return to the former country he sold out, but was amazed by the man's shamelessness when Trunicht accepted the position. During that time he also had an audience with not only Fleet Admiral Mittermeyer (who served as Reinhard's Space Fleet Commander-in-Chief), but also his wife [[Evangelin Mittermeyer|Evangelin]]. With Mittermeyer he also reminisced of the time he first met Reuenthal. ({{logh|084|085|086|087}})<br />
<br />
While he was visiting a memorial in August {{d|800|uc}} that commemorated the dead soldiers of the Imperial Fleet, he was the victim of an assassination attempt by someone in the crowd. The attempt was easily prevented by the [[Imperial Guard]] but the man publicly accused Reinhard of complicity in the Westerland Massacre three years ago, back during the Lippstadt Rebellion. The Kaiser was depressed by that event and could not forgive himself for the few million deaths on Westerland, and so he ordered the man who made the attempt to not be executed—while the penalty for attempted regicide under the Goldenbaum Dynasty had been death for the criminal and his entire family. But shortly after this incident, the Kaiser ended up being consoled by Hildegard, who spent the night with him. The next day the flustered Reinhard went to the Mariendorf estate to ask for Hildegard's hand in marriage, wanting to take responsibility for what happened and not be like the promiscuous high nobles had been. ({{logh|089}})<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, the remaining Terraists sought to overthrow Reinhard and did not want him to produce an heir with a future wife. Their main plan became to provoke Oskar von Reuenthal into rebellion, and use that to bring down his new dynasty. On Fezzan, Adrian Rubinsky began a similar plot, using Heydrich Lang as a tool to carry this out. By September, rumors began to circulate that Reuenthal would invite the Kaiser on a trip to the Neue Land and assassinate him there, and in order to test Reinhard's belief in these rumors Reuenthal made an invitation for him to visit Heinessen. The Kaiser accepted and while he made a stop over on [[Uruvasi]], a planet near the Alliance exit of the Fezzan Corridor, he was the subject of another assassination attempt—this time by mutinying and confused Imperial troops. High Admiral Cornelius Lutz was killed defending him and buying time for Reinhard to escape back to his flagship, at which point the ''Brünhild'' left the planet and disappeared for a short while as it made its way back to Fezzan. Upon hearing of this, Fleet Admiral Reuenthal ordered his subordinates to locate and protect the emperor while also dispatching Admiral [[Alfred Grillpalzer]] to restore order on Uruvasi and investigate the mutiny. However, the truth behind the incident on Uruvasi would not be known for some time. ({{logh|090|091|092}})<br />
<br />
===Reuenthal Rebellion===<br />
[[File:Mittermeyer aiming Lang.JPG|thumb|210px|left|Mittermeyer nearly killing Lang over the Reuenthal affair ({{d|800|uc}})]]<br />
With the events on Uruvasi and the death of Lutz, Reuenthal realized that he was being turned into a traitor but could not bring himself to go beg for forgiveness from Reinhard, and by extent, Heydrich Lang behind him. Instead, the prideful admiral, who had ambitions of obtaining power for himself in the past, decided to actually start a revolt. Having secured the loyalty of his staff, including admirals Grillpalzer and [[Bruno von Knappstein]], he set about gaining access to the Iserlohn Corridor from the republicans in exchange for the entire former Alliance territory, but they ultimately declined the offer. The Kaiser was infuriated by Reuenthal's actions and perception that he was being controlled by Lang, who ultimately was investigated and found guilty by Admiral Kesler of having poisoned [[Nicholas Boltik]], the former Fezzan interim governor-general, in prison. Reinhard ordered Reuenthal's best friend, Wolfgang Mittermeyer, to lead the space fleet to pacify his rebellion, as the Kaiser attacking a vassal himself would agitate his other subordinates. Mittermeyer understood that and accepted the mission with a heavy heart, still thinking he might get Reuenthal to stand down. On 14 November {{d|800|uc}}, the Space Fleet Commander-in-Chief led a fleet of some 42,000 ships, along with admirals Wahlen and Bittenfeld, against Reuenthal's Neue Land Security Force. ({{logh|093|094}})<br />
<br />
Further attempts to mend the situation by different parties amount to nothing, and Reuenthal realized that he needed to win a victory to secure the morale of his men, whom he told they are fighting against villainous vassals misleading Reinhard. Ultimately, Reuenthal's forces were defeated during the [[Second Battle of Rantemario]], in which he was fatally wounded, and thus ending his short-lived revolt. Mittermeyer arrived on Heinessen shortly after Reuenthal and visited his friend for the final time, who by then had died in his office. Around the same time, it became known to Kaiser Reinhard and his subordinates of the roles of Grillpalzer and Lang, after an investigation by Admiral Ernest Mecklinger into the events that had transpired on Uruvasi, as well as the Terraist involvement. Lang, hearing of Reuenthal's death, confessed to everything and was subsequently executed, and Grillpalzer was quite likely given the same punishment for his role in covering up the truth behind Uruvasi. Reinhard, who realizes the Mittermeyer is the only one left he could truly depend on, allowed him to adopt Reuenthal's baby son, [[Felix Mittermeyer]]. Around December {{d|800|uc}}, Hildegard revealed that she was pregnant with the Kaiser's child, and accepted his marraige proposal. ({{logh|095|096|097|098|099}})<br />
<br />
===Final months===<br />
[[File:Reinhard and Hildegard wedding.JPG|thumb|210px|Kaiser Reinhard and Kaiserin Hildegard at their wedding ({{d|801|uc}})]]<br />
Reinhard began to get sick more frequently, although the cause of it was initially unknown. Meanwhile, he finally got married to Hildegard von Mariendorf shortly after the new year party in January {{d|801|uc}}, the wedding celebration being on the 29th of that month. Hildegard had been his longtime political advisor since the events of the Imperial Civil War and the potential candidate for his consort in the view of Reinhard's admirals. Meanwhile, riots broke out on Heinessen as a result of a food shortage, something Oberstein interrupted the wedding for to report to the Kaiser. Around that time Count von Mariendorf retired from the office of Minister of State in order to not have too much power as the father of the empress, much to the approval of Oberstein, and the Kaiser offered Fleet Admiral Mittermeyer that position. Also to Reinhard's gladness, his sister Grand Duchess Annerose stepped out of seclusion to attend the wedding, which she supported, and began to visit the pregnant Hildegard on Fezzan. ({{logh|100}})<br />
<br />
Although the riots on the former Alliance capital were pacified, another problem arose in February as [[Julian Mintz]], Yang Wen-li's successor as the leader of the Iserlohn Republic, decided to go to battle against the Kaiser. The Imperial admiralty had pondered the question of their own expedition and decided against it because of the strain to the national treasury, but had no choice now that the republicans were making a move. They scored an initial victory over the [[Wahlen Fleet]] in the Iserlohn Corridor and prompted Reinhard to personally lead an expedition. Reinhard fell ill again, however, thus leaving the Heinessen and Iserlohn questions to be resolved by his admirals. The news of the republican victory at the [[Eleventh Battle of Iserlohn]] encouraged republican agitation on Heinessen. Oberstein infuriated Bittenfeld, Müller, and Wahlen with his plan of using arrested former Alliance officials as hostages to force the Iserlohn republicans to sign a peace agreement. Their argument escalated and Bittenfeld tried to attack Oberstein, resulting in him being placed under house arrest and infighting breaking out between military police under Oberstein's Ministry of Military Affairs and the sailors of Bittenfeld's Black Lancers. Meanwhile, the Kaiser himself heard of this increasingly dangerous situation and traveled to Heinessen personally, ordering the release of the political prisoners after a riot at [[Rugpool Prison]] and bombings throughout [[Heinessenopolis]], asking to negotiate with the Iserlohn republicans. In addition, Rubinsky was apprehended by Oberstein's agents and taken into custody. ({{logh|101|102|103|104|105}})<br />
<br />
In May {{d|801|uc}}, despite the Terraists' attempt to attack Hildegard's residence, she gave birth to [[Alexander Siegfried von Lohengramm]], the prince of the new dynasty, at [[Fezzan Medical University Hospital]]. ({{logh|106}})<br />
<br />
===The Battle of Shiva===<br />
[[File:Brunhildboarded.jpg|left|thumb|210px|''Brünhild'' at Shiva ({{d|801|uc}})]]<br />
Meanwhile in the same month, a minor skirmish between Iserlohn Republic and New Galactic Empire forces would escalate into the final confrontation between the two factions, the [[Battle of Shiva]]. Fighting broke out between a squadron from each side over the escort of a civilian refugee ship, and both sides continued bringing in reinforcements in order to not back down. Julian Mintz wanted to win respect and a right to negotiate on an equal footing with Kaiser Reinhard, while the young ruler wanted both to subjugate them and to test Mintz's abilities. During the battle, the republicans noted the sluggishness of the Imperial Fleet's movements, which was due to Reinhard's impeded command ability from his deteriorating health. A communications blackout eventually occurred between the Imperial forces and HQ as they tried to conceal Reinhard's sudden collapse and unconsciousness. Eventually, the Iserlohn fleet took advantage of it and charged straight for the Supreme Flagship ''Brünhild''. A number of republican ships made it through the Imperial defenders and a boarding vessel made contact with ''Brünhild'''s hull. Getting aboard, the elite Rosen Ritter unit fought the defenders in an attempt to buy time for Mintz to locate the Kaiser, which he eventually was able to do. ({{logh|107|108}})<br />
<br />
Outside, Bittenfeld's Black Lancers and the [[Eisenach Fleet]] managed to fight the rest of the Iserlohn fleet back and dealt them heavy losses, causing the death of their commander, Admiral Merkatz. But on ''Brünhild'', Mintz made it to the Kaiser's chamber and was granted an audience for negotiations, and thus an order for a ceasefire was immediately broadcast to all ships from the Imperial HQ, saving the remnants of the Republic's battered fleet. ({{Logh|108}})<br />
<br />
==Death==<br />
[[File:Finale.PNG|210px|thumb|right|Kaiser Reinhard in his sickbed ({{d|801|uc}})]]<br />
Upon the Imperial expeditionary force's and the Republic fleet's return from Iserlohn to Heinessen on 10 June {{d|801|uc}}, news of Kaiser Reinhard's terminal illness was announced. There both the Kaiser and Mintz discussed the future of the galaxy, including the idea of giving Heinessen autonomy in return for Iserlohn Fortress, or the possibility of implementing a constitution in the Empire. However, Reinhard commented that Julian Mintz would have to discuss the details with Hildegard von Lohengramm, who would be his successor's Imperial regent. Reinhard was eventually diagnosed with a heretofore undiscovered, degenerative disease. Labelled the ' Emperor's Sickness', this malady took Reinhard's life at the age of 25. Even then he was briefly subjected to an attack by the Terraists after Oberstein used a false rumor of Reinhard's recovery to draw out the remaining followers of the Church, which ultimately was stopped but resulted in Oberstein's death. Reinhard von Lohengramm, first Emperor of the New Galactic Empire, died on 26 July {{d|801|uc}}, surrounded by his top admirals, officials, and relatives. Upon his death, Hildegard von Lohengramm assumed rule over the New Galactic Empire as Regent for the infant Alexander Siegfried. ({{logh|109|110}})<br />
<br />
==Legacy==<br />
Reinhard's life was characterized by a strong sense of justice and personal responsibility. By his own efforts, he claimed dominion over the galaxy, uprooting the old order and overthrowing the three major powers that had previously shared the universe for over a century: the Goldenbaum Dynasty, the Free Planets Alliance, and the Dominion of Fezzan. His enduring wish was to see his New Galactic Empire ruled not by blood but by merit, even if it meant the end of his dynasty. Reinhard may have been the perfect autocrat, but the abilities and personalities of his successors were unknown, paralleling the situation after [[Rudolf von Goldenbaum]] had founded the Empire. Given the groundwork he laid, however, and the moderate influences of his wife, supported by Fleet Admiral Mittermeyer, and the concessions to autonomy for the [[Ba'alat Starzone]] and more representative rule in the whole Empire, it was probable the transition to the early years of the post-Reinhard Empire was reasonably smooth.<br />
<br />
==Personal life==<br />
Reinhard von Lohengramm's desire to take over the universe had originated when his sister Annerose was taken from him and became a concubine at the Imperial court for Kaiser Friedrich IV. The bond between Reinhard, Kircheis, and Annerose was extremely close and served as the stimulus for his meteoric rise to the top, and when it was permanently broken following the Lippstadt War, Reinhard became a changed man. The only outsiders that came the closest to filling the void were Hildegard, his eventual wife, and perhaps Mittermeyer and Reuenthal given their pledge of loyalty and friendship with him, but to a much lesser extent.<br />
<br />
His political views were a mixture of both monarchism and republicanism, as he neither wanted to leave the fate of humanity to the whim of the masses, nor to the prodigal aristocrats who cared about their lineage. Although he opposed elections, neither did he particularly want a hereditary monarchy, and believed that his successor should be the most capable person for the position. In a choice between dictatorship and democracy, however, Reinhard preferred the former. He did have some other firm principles, including his belief in meritocracy and that one should be willing to lead his troops from the front line personally. But ultimately Reinhard's chief concern was the attainment of his ambitions to become the most powerful man in the universe and return to him what had been lost, namely, his sister Annerose.<br />
<br />
Reinhard had respect for Yang Wen-li personally and was willing to debate him on his principles on what could be described as an equal level, a stark difference from his attitude of utter contempt towards the elected Alliance politicians or the ruling nobles in the Goldenbaum empire. He also respected others that were particularly competent or principled, pardoning low level Alliance bureaucrats that refused to turn over sensitive documents and even commenting that had people like them been in charge the Alliance would never have fallen.<br />
<br />
Reinhard also disdained cowardice and treachery, executing the soldiers who murdered president Rebalo to curry favor with him.<br />
<br />
==Styles and titles==<br />
* '''March 776 - April 793''': ''Herr'' Reinhard von Müsel<br />
* '''April 793 - September 795''': ''His Wellborn'' Reinhard Reichsritter von Müsel (Imperial Knight)<br />
* '''September 795 - October 796''': ''His Illustrious Highness'' Reinhard Graf von Lohengramm (Count von Lohengramm)<br />
* '''October 796 - October 797''': ''His Serene Highness'' Reinhard Fürst von Lohengramm (Prince von Lohengramm)<br />
* '''October 797 - September 798''': ''His Serene Highness'' Reinhard Herzog von Lohengramm (Duke von Lohengramm)<br />
* '''September 798 - July 801''': ''His Imperial Majesty'' Galactic Kaiser Reinhard<br />
<br />
==Appendices==<br />
===Appearances===<br />
<div class="appear"><br />
*{{mciss}} (first appearance)<br />
*{{logh}}<br />
**{{e|001}}<br />
**{{e|002}}<br />
**{{e|004}}<br />
**{{e|005}}<br />
**{{e|008}}<br />
**{{e|009}}<br />
**{{e|011}}<br />
**{{e|013}}<br />
**{{e|014}}<br />
**{{e|015}}<br />
**{{e|016}}<br />
**{{e|017}}<br />
**{{e|018}}<br />
**{{e|019}}<br />
**{{e|020}}<br />
**{{e|022}}<br />
**{{e|023}}<br />
**{{e|025}}<br />
**{{e|026}}<br />
**{{e|027}}<br />
**{{e|028}}<br />
**{{e|029}}<br />
**{{e|030}}<br />
**{{e|031}} (???)<br />
**{{e|033}} (flashback)<br />
**{{e|034}}<br />
**{{e|035}}<br />
**{{e|036}}<br />
**{{e|037}}<br />
**{{e|038}}<br />
**{{e|041}}<br />
**{{e|042}}<br />
**{{e|044}}<br />
**{{e|045}}<br />
**{{e|046}}<br />
**{{e|047}}<br />
**{{e|048}}<br />
**{{e|049}}<br />
**{{e|050}}<br />
**{{e|051}}<br />
**{{e|052}}<br />
**{{e|053}}<br />
**{{e|054}}<br />
**{{e|108}}<br />
**{{e|109}}<br />
**{{e|110}} (death)<br />
*{{gw}}<br />
*{{onw}}<br />
*{{swv}}<br />
**{{e|Chapter I|SWV}}<br />
**{{e|Chapter II|SWV}}<br />
**{{e|Chapter III|SWV}}<br />
**{{e|Chapter IV|SWV}}<br />
*{{ret}}<br />
**{{e|Chapter I|RET}}<br />
**{{e|Chapter II|RET}}<br />
**{{e|Chapter III|RET}}<br />
**{{e|Chapter IV|RET}}<br />
</div><br />
<br />
===Memorable quotes===<br />
*In any age, in any society, when people are small, they look up at the stars and stretch out their hands as if to grasp them. Then at last,they learn that their own arms aren't long enough to reach the stars. They call that becoming an adult. But I don't think so. Without fail, those stars will be in this hand!<br />
<br />
*There is great satisfaction in fighting for the sake of gaining power, but it is joyless to fight for the sake of maintaining it. <br />
<br />
*These idiots. What do they think of others? They think they are born with the right to rule. They think they have the right to hurt others. These people are too evil. And this empire is too corrupted.<br />
<br />
*I want victory — but not because the enemy is weak.<br />
<br />
*It's power. What I need is power. If I should want to get my sister back, then I must first, first of all, possess power that would make those idiots bow to my command. If my enemies are to be the aristocracy, then I need a power greater than theirs. If the emperor is to be my enemy, I must be mightier than even him.<br />
<br />
*For those who have come to power, wealth and glory not by their own strength and effort, but simply through inheritance, what right do they have to complain? The very existence of such blood-lineage dynasties is disgusting. Power is the property of one generation. It shouldn't be transferred, it should be seized.<br />
<br />
*The man who succeeds me must have talent equal to, or greater than my own.<br />
<br />
*Genes determine everything? What nonsense. Hereditary physical qualities have no effect on people, that's for individuals. Heredity concerns family background, not personal abilities. Those who blindly believe in such theories generally having nothing in their own lives to be proud of... they are the people I despise the most.<br />
<br />
*Indeed, small acts of opposition cannot solve every problem. Our society needs a complete revolution. Such problems must be corrected, and we must not wait for others to correct them. We must carry out the revolution with our own hands.<br />
<br />
*If the enemy has anyone with even a tenth of my intelligence, even Iserlohn will fall.<br />
<br />
*Our future battles will not only be on the battlefield. Political struggles, court politics. It's not just a war of words, but also a war of blood.<br />
<br />
*It's to be expected that incompetent rulers be overthrown.<br />
<br />
*Fighting 100 battles does not mean winning 100 victories.<br />
<br />
*Already, I have nothing to lose. But even so, I will fight. To keep my promise to you, and... to gain something to quench the thirst in my heart.<br />
<br />
*What criminals need is neither diplomacy nor persuasion. They have neither the ability nor the intention to understand. Only force will enlighten their foolishness.<br />
<br />
*I aim to be the supreme ruler... and to reach that goal, I have a policy of my own. It is to fight my own battles. That's the difference between myself and the noblemen I've fought and defeated. That's also the reason why the soldiers follow me.<br />
<br />
*I cannot lose to anyone. People admire and stay loyal to me because I'm undefeated. I'm not supported because of my bloodline.<br />
<br />
*Something that is supposed to die and does not... will eventually rot away, whether it's a man or a nation.<br />
<br />
*I don't believe that absolute truth is necessary. I only need the power to freely accomplish my dreams. One could say that it's the power not to have to take orders from those one despises.<br />
<br />
*I formally acknowledge that terrorists have abducted his majesty, the Kaiser Erwin Josef. The whereabouts of his majesty, as well as of the lawless criminals who abducted him have both become clear. This band of criminals are former high nobles led by a former Imperial High Commissioner to Fezzan, Jochen von Remscheid, a Count under the old system. These villains, hiding among the rebels who call themselves the Free Planets Alliance, have illegally announced the establishment of a government-in-exile. I hereby declare: having abducted the Kaiser by illegal and cowardly means, the remnants of the high nobility who plan to reverse the flow of history and steal by force the rights that the people have established will receive a suitable repayment for this atrocity. The ambitious men of the Free Planets Alliance who had illicit dealings with them, and who also plot a rebellious war against the peace and harmony of space, will meet the same fate. Their mistaken choice must be met with an appropriate punishment. What criminals need is neither diplomacy nor persuasion, they have neither the ability nor the intention to understand either. Only force will enlighten their foolishness. Hereafter, no matter how great the volume of blood that comes to be shed, bear in mind these foolish criminals and conspirators and know that they are responsible.<br />
<br />
*But even if my sister hates me, I can't turn back. If I retreat now from the road to leadership, who will restore the universe to unity and harmony? Shall I entrust the future of humanity to the high noble prodigals who care only about their own lineage? Or to demagogues who just move armies guided by sophistry and profit?<br />
<br />
*What do they think people are? Assuming it's a matter of course to rule over them. Stealing from people and insulting people... yet they say it's their privilege to be forgiven?! Those people are corrupt! This empire is corrupt!<br />
<br />
*I don't think I can forgive Rudolf and what he did, becoming Kaiser. He set up the people who flattered him as nobles, and the result of that is this disgrace. Haven't you had thoughts like this, Kircheis? The Goldenbaum dynasty, as with the birth of the human race, need not have happened. It's only been 500 years since Rudolf built it. Before that, neither the Empire nor the Goldenbaum family existed, and he was no more than one citizen. Originally, Rudolf was no more than an upstart man of ambition, and who, riding the current of the times, was made into a sacred, inviolable Kaiser.<br />
<br />
*Kircheis, do you think what was possible for Rudolf is impossible for me?<br />
<br />
===Background information===<br />
*The name [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinhard Reinhard] is of old Nordic origin and means ''pure and sturdy''. In German, it roughly translates into ''determined''. Both attributes denoting to Reinhard's character as well as his ulterior motives and goals. Lohengramm is quite likely a mistranslation/misspelling of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lohengrin Lohengrin], the opera of Richard Wagner about the grail-knight of the same name.<br />
<br />
* Reinhard strongly resembles Napoleon Bonaparte. Both men started off as minor nobility. Both gained power and prominence through military accomplishment. Both became emperors and established an enlightened monarchy and Reinhard's combination of High Admirals and Fleet Admirals mirror's Napoleon's Marshals. One of Napoleon's most notable marshals, Jean Lannes, strongly resembles Siegfried Kircheis in both relationship and deeds.<br />
<br />
*Many of Reinhard's achievements and characteristics mirror those of Alexander the Great. Both men were military geniuses who ascended to power at a very young age. Both men conquered most of their respective known universes. Both men were responsible for sweeping social and political reforms that would impact all of human history to follow, and both men died at a young age shortly after their wars had ended. Reinhard's very close friendship with also Siegfried Kircheis parallels Alexander's relationship with his friend and general, Hephaestion.<br />
<br />
*Reinhard's life is also similar to that of Julius Caesar. Like Caesar, Reinhard's power stemmed not just from the military, but from the common people. Like Caesar, Reinhard was very popular with the lowest-classes of citizenry and feared by the ruling nobility. Like Caesar, Reinhard seized power through ostensibly legitimate means and stripped the ruling elite of their power, money, and influence. The scene of fleets loyal to Reinhard descending over Odin — of warships appearing over sacrosanct skies — also mirrors that of the 13th Legion crossing the Rubicon into Rome.<br />
<br />
*Reinhard also bears many similarities to Rome's first Emperor, Augustus. Like Augustus, Reinhard enacted many reforms that completely changed the social, political, legal and educational landscape of the Empire, and like Augustus, Reinhard focused on crafting a system of Empire that could survive in spite of, or despite, whomever might become Emperor after his death.<br />
<br />
*Reinhard is also somewhat similar to the French royalist leader [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Cathelineau Jacques Cathelineau], in terms of both physical appearance and traits. <br />
<br />
*Though its exact symptoms were never explicitly stated, the disease that ended Reinhard's life bore the name "Emperor's Sickness," a term that has been used commonly to refer to Hemophilia and Porphyria, as illnesses infamous for afflicting regal heads-of-state.<br />
<br />
*Reinhard's voice actor, [[Horikawa Ryō]], is also notable for his other big anime role: Vegeta, in the mega-hit anime Dragonball Z, its sequel Dragonball GT, and the many affiliated OVAs and movies.<br />
<br />
{{navbox/officials/Goldenlöwe}}<br />
{{navbox/officials/Goldenbaum|collapsed}}<br />
{{navbox/soldiers/Empire|collapsed}}<br />
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<br />
[[Category:Soldiers|Lohengramm reinhard von]]<br />
[[Category:Imperial citizens|Lohengramm reinhard von]]<br />
[[Category:Nobility|Lohengramm reinhard von]]<br />
[[Category:Characters from Overture to a New War|Lohengramm reinhard von]]</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Reinhard_von_LohengrammReinhard von Lohengramm2021-10-31T09:01:01Z<p>WalkerEmp: /* Styles and titles */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{infobox/character<br />
| image-top = Reinhard_8.jpg<br />
| caption-top = Kaiser '''Reinhard''' ({{d|801|uc}})<br />
| gender = Male<br />
| affiliation = [[Galactic Empire]]<br />
| rank = [[Military ranks of the Galactic Empire#Fleet_admiral|Supreme Fleet Admiral]]<br />
| flagship = ''[[Brünhild]]''<br />''[[Tannhäuser]]'' (former)<br />
| occupation = Kaiser of the Galactic Empire<br />
| status = Deceased (natural causes)<br />
| born = {{d|776|uc}}<br />
| died = {{d|801|uc}}<br />
| actor = [[Horikawa Ryō]] <small>([[My Conquest Is the Sea of Stars (film)|MCISS]], [[Legend of Galactic Heroes (OVA)|OVA]], [[Overture to a New War (film)|ONW]])</small><br />[[Narahashi Miki]] <small>([[Legend of Galactic Heroes (OVA)|OVA]], childhood)</small><br />[[Midorikawa Hikaru]] <small>([[Golden Wings (film)|GW]])</small><br />
}}<br />
'''Reinhard von Lohengramm''' (Japanese: '''ラインハルト・フォン・ローエングラム'''), born '''Reinhard von Müsel''', was an [[Galactic Empire|Imperial]] military and political leader who rose to prominence during the [[Alliance–Imperial War]], overthrowing the ruling [[Goldenbaum Dynasty]] and establishing himself as [[emperor]] of a [[New Galactic Empire]], establishing the [[Goldenlöwe Dynasty]]. A genius in war and politics, he rose to the highest ranks of the [[Imperial Armed Forces|Imperial Fleet]] at a young age and eventually usurped the power of the traditional [[nobility]] during the [[Imperial Civil War]]. Upon becoming the ''de facto'' dictator of the Empire, he instituted numerous political, legal, economic, and social reforms to abolish the old feudalistic system that had existed under the Goldenbaums and created a new empire, which was described by [[Yang Wen-li]] as having been "Not by the people, but for the people." Shortly after his [[Operation Ragnarök|conquest]] of the [[Free Planets Alliance]], he deposed the [[Catherine von Goldenbaum|last Goldenbaum sovereign]], who was essentially powerless, from the throne and proclaimed himself emperor.<br />
<br />
He died on 26 July {{d|801|uc}}, at the age of 25, after having become arguably the most influential leader in human history and having unified humanity under the rule of one government.<br />
<br />
==Early life==<br />
[[File:Reinhardchildhood.PNG|190px|thumb|left|Young Reinhard ({{d|786|uc}})]]<br />
Born on 14 March {{d|776|uc}} to the poor aristocratic von Müsel family, Reinhard spent most of his childhood living with his father, [[Sebastian von Müsel|Sebastian]], and sister, [[Annerose von Grünewald|Annerose]], in a middle-class, suburban neighbourhood. Because Reinhard's mother, [[Caribelle von Müsel|Caribelle]], died in a car accident when he was very young, Reinhard grew very attached to his older sister. The von Müsel family held the noble rank of ''Reichsritter'' (Imperial Knight) therefore barely qualifying as a noble. As a child, Reinhard met the man whom he would later declare another part of himself: [[Siegfried Kircheis]]. The young Reinhard felt the name "Siegfried" was too common, and insisted on calling Siegfried by his surname, Kircheis. He would retain his habit of using Kircheis' surname, despite their close relationship, for the rest of his life. In many ways, Reinhard's life was defined by the strong relationships he formed with his sister and friend in those happy days. ({{logh|004}}, {{gw}})<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, those days were not to last and Reinhard was rudely exposed to the true nature of the [[Galactic Empire]]'s class system in {{d|786|uc}}. One day, a [[Nobility|high nobleman]] happened to see Reinhard's sister Annerose in the street, and took notice of her. Shortly thereafter, rumours of her exceptional beauty reached the Imperial Court. It was then decided that she would be brought to the [[Neue Sanssouci|Imperial Palace]] to serve as an imperial consort to the emperor—Kaiser [[Friedrich IV]]. Reinhard's father accepted a large sum of money as a dowry in exchange for effectively selling his daughter into a life of sexual servitude. He chose to accept the money, because he reasoned that even if he refused the payment Annerose would be taken away regardless. Already weak to alcohol since the death of his wife, Sebastian retreated further into the bottle after Annerose was taken. Reflecting on Sebastian's life after his death, Kircheis thought perhaps he was never able to forgive himself for failing to protect his daughter. ({{dmsn|03}})<br />
<br />
When Reinhard realised what his father had done, he was enraged. He angrily swore to destroy the corrupt, capricious Goldenbaum Dynasty and rescue his sister from the clutches of Kaiser Friedrich IV. Together, he and Kircheis promised to defeat every enemy and win every battle in pursuit of that goal. [[Julian Mintz]] would later note that Annerose served as the catalyst that resulted in the great change of history that Reinhard accomplished. Shortly after his sister was taken, Reinhard joined military school to become an officer, as he considered it the fastest way to advance in their class-based society, getting Kircheis to go along with him. ({{logh|004|110}}, {{swv|01}})<br />
<br />
==Early military career==<br />
===Kapche-Lanka===<br />
[[File:Reinhard_and_tank_fire.jpg|210px|thumb|Reinhard in Kapche-Lanka ({{d|791|uc}})]]<br />
Reinhard graduated from the [[Imperial Officer Academy]] on [[Odin]] at the top of his class, and though he was much resented by his upperclassmen, all of his peers and underclassmen respected and admired him. Immediately after graduating, Reinhard and Kircheis, as young junior officers, were assigned to an Imperial facility on the frozen world of [[Kapche-Lanka]], located within the [[Iserlohn Corridor]] on the front line of the [[Alliance–Imperial War]]. It was a minor world that had some natural resources, but was not of much significance, with combat there going on mainly due to the fact that neither the Empire nor the Alliance wanted the other side to take control of it. Reinhard viewed it as an example of the incompetence of the leadership on both sides. He earned the ire of the commanding officer, {{rank|imperial|Captain}} [[Herder]], after getting into a fight with some lower ranking servicemen that were abusing a civilian woman. However, Reinhard's situation would become more perilous when Princess [[Sussanna von Beenemünde]], a concubine of Kaiser Friedrich who despised his sister's status at court, secretly hired the captain to assassinate Reinhard. He and Kircheis are thus sent on what is ostensibly a recon mission into the frozen wastes of Kapche-Lanka, but with an ill-equipped [[Panzer IV|tank]]. ({{swv|01|02}})<br />
<br />
They inevitably run low on fuel and decide to attack an [[Free Planets Alliance|Alliance]] tank patrol that they stumble across to obtain more supplies. After successfully ambushing them, the pair gained not only more fuel but information on an upcoming Alliance attack on the Imperial base. Meanwhile, Reinhard correctly assumes that Captain Herder will send a subordinate to check on whether or not they are still alive, and lays a trap for him. When {{rank|imperial|Lieutenant}} [[Fugenberch]] arrives and reveals what is really going on before intending to finish off Reinhard, Kircheis fires from the tank nearby and kills the lieutenant. Following his death, Reinhard and Kircheis returned to the base to find it is under attack by the Alliance already, at which point they use a code they obtained from the enemy tank they captured to shut down the Alliance's attacking tanks, allowing the Empire to counterattack. Subsequently, feigning ignorance of Captain Herder's plot against them, they take part in his assault on the Alliance base, and during that assault Herder attempts to murder Reinhard. However, they prepared for it and stopped him, though in the end Herder committed suicide. ({{swv|03|04}})<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, both conspirators on Kapche-Lanka died, making any possible legal action against Princess von Beenemünde impossible. Following his victories, Reinhard was promoted to Sub-lieutenant and transferred to the space fleet. ({{swv|04}})<br />
<br />
===''Hameln II''===<br />
[[File:Kircheis Reinhard Bertram.jpg|thumb|210px|left|Reinhard and Kircheis confronting Bertram ({{d|791|uc}})]]<br />
Following the events on Kapche-Lanka, in August of {{d|791|uc}}, Reinhard was assigned as Chief Navigator aboard the destroyer ''[[Hameln II]]''. Although the ship's captain is impressed with Reinhard's service record, the rest of the crew is less enthusiastic and sees him as a spoiled aristocratic brat who got promoted because of his sister's status with the Kaiser. However, while going outside the vessel on a space walk, an enlisted rating ended up getting disconnected from the ship and flying out into space, before Reinhard rescued him. This earned the young officer respect from the enlisted crew of the ''Hameln II''. Later during a routine patrol outside of Iserlohn, their squadron is attacked and Reinhard temporarily takes command of the vessel when the captain is severely injured and the first officer, Lieutenant [[Hartmann Bertram]], happens to not be on the bridge. Reinhard led the destroyer away from the rest of their squadron, which fled from the Alliance vessels that were waiting to ambush them in a nearby asteroid field. Instead he flew into the asteroid field, predicting the Alliance ships wouldn't follow them and instead hunt for the fleeing squadron. Bertram returned and later demanded he pass command authority back to him and return to the normal course, but Reinhard's prediction is confirmed when the rest of their squadron is destroyed. ({{mut|01|02}})<br />
<br />
Bertram orders the detainment of Reinhard on the grounds of mutiny, which Kircheis (the Security Officer) carries out. As they hide in the asteroid field from the patrolling Alliance ships, Bertram decided to self-destruct the ship as he believed there is not way of escape. He ignored fellow crewman [[Schmidt]]'s proposal to use the energy dispensed by a solar eruption from a nearby star to propel their ship away from the Alliance squadron in the area. Kircheis became aware of both the proposal and Bertram's plan to self-destruct, and decided to free Reinhard with the help of some enlisted men. Together they took control of the bridge but were confronted by Bertram, who shot an enlisted crewman defending Reinhard. The situation would have escalated if not for the arrival of {{rank|imperial|lieutenant commander}} [[Adenauer]], their captain, who repeats his order giving Reinhard command authority. They proceeded with the plan to get away using the eruption from the nearby star, and despite some minor problems that resulted in Bertram's death after volunteering for a dangerous mission to atone for having shot a crewman, they are able to escape. ({{mut|03|04}})<br />
<br />
After their return to Iserlohn, Reinhard was recommended by Adenauer for promotion to lieutenant. Given the choice between continuing on as the new executive officer and an assignment elsewhere, Reinhard opted for assignment elsewhere to broaden his experience. ({{Mut|04}})<br />
<br />
===Military administration===<br />
[[File:Reinhard and opponent.jpg|thumb|210px|Reinhard during his duel on behalf of Viscountess Schaffhausen ({{d|792|uc}})]]<br />
While working a desk job at the investigative department of the [[Ministry of War|Ministry of Military Affairs]] on Odin, Reinhard discovered several instances of corruption among base commanders on the front line. The amounts of supplies ordered and those received by the front line units do not correlate, and Reinhard deduces that certain officers were siphoning off military supplies to sell on the black market. He and Kircheis gathered evidence and reported to their superiors, but were told that nothing could be done: a certain amount of corruption was accepted as a "necessary evil" and they were essentially ordered to drop the matter. This further solidified Reinhard's opinion that the [[Goldenbaum Dynasty]] was too corrupt to be allowed to continue. ({{duel|01}})<br />
<br />
However, the posting at the [[Imperial Capital]] meant that he was able to meet with his sister Annerose. During one such occasion, he found out about the dispute between one of her sister's few allies at the Imperial court, Viscountess [[Dorothea von Schaffhausen]], and Count [[Herxheimer]], relative of one of the most influential high nobles of the Empire: Marquis [[Wilhelm von Littenheim]], over territorial mining rights. Herxheimer knew he had no chance of winning the case against her in a court of law and challenged her to a duel, using his reputation to ensure that no professional duelist would work for the Schaffhausen family. When Reinhard heard of this, he offered to take the place of her duelist, despite having no experience in that arena. News of the "blond brat" choosing to participate in this high-level duel spread quickly throughout the upper echelons of Imperial society and soon the event became a spectacle. Reinhard learned to use the antique flintlock pistols traditionally wielded by duelists, initially struggling before happening to run into a young lieutenant commander, [[Cornelius Lutz]], who trained him in its use. Unbeknownst to Reinhard, Princess von Beenemüde (having failed to get Reinhard killed on Kapche-Lanka) hired an assassin to take the place of Count Herxheimer's [[Goldschmidt|duelist]], in order to kill Reinhard during the duel. ({{duel|01|02}})<br />
<br />
The duel was held on a property owned by Marquis Littenheim, who supported the Count, and was viewed by a large audience of nobles. Both the assassin and Reinhard missed each other in the first round because the latter duelist chose to leap to the side. In the second round, both of them wounded each other, in the assassin's right shoulder and Reinhard's left arm. The third round was a sword match, at the request of the assassin, who quickly proves himself to be the superior swordsman despite his injury, but before Reinhard could be defeated a group of [[Imperial Guard]]smen arrived at the arena on horseback, telling them that Kaiser Friedrich IV had ordered the duel to be suspended and had settled the dispute personally, splitting the proceeds of the mines equally between the two feuding families. The outcome pleased the Schaffhausen family while Herxheimer reluctantly accepted the Emperor's settlement. The assassin challenged Reinhard to another duel privately, and Reinhard, with assistance from Kircheis, is able to defeat him the second time, once again foiling Beenemüde's attempt to kill him. ({{duel|03|04}})<br />
<br />
===''Hässliche Entlein''===<br />
[[File:Commander Reinhard.png|210px|thumb|left|Commander Reinhard at Iserlohn ({{d|792|uc}})]]<br />
Later in {{d|792|uc}}, Reinhard was transferred to [[Iserlohn Fortress]] on the front line, being given command of the [[Imperial destroyer (788 UC era)|destroyer]] ''[[Ermland II]]''. He spent part of his time there under investigation by a lieutenant commander named [[Gregor von Krumbach]], who was sent to Iserlohn to investigate the death of Captain Herder back on Kapche-Lanka. Secretly, however, he was sent there with the goal of killing Reinhard, one behalf of Princess von Beenemüde. Krumbach was unable to find an opportunity to do so when an Alliance expeditionary fleet [[Fifth Battle of Iserlohn|attacked]] the fortress, at which point he joined Reinhard and Kircheis aboard the ''Ermland II''. During the battle ''Ermland II'' destroyed an [[Alliance cruiser (788 UC era)|Alliance cruiser]], and for that he was later promoted to {{rank|imperial|commander|lc}}. After the battle Reinhard and Kircheis confronted Krumbach, killing him. ({{gw}})<br />
<br />
In December of the same year, Commander von Müsel took command of the [[Imperial cruiser (788 UC era)|Imperial cruiser]] ''[[Hässliche Entlein]]'' ("Ugly Duckling"). It was here that he encountered [[August Samuel Wahlen]] who was his executive officer. As the captain of a cruiser, Reinhard drilled his crew frequently while they were not in battle, keeping the ship at combat readiness and the highest levels of efficiency. Around that time, he was chosen, along with the crew of his ship, for a special mission behind enemy lines by Imperial military intelligence. It was to intercept Count Herxheimer and prevent him from defecting to the Free Planets Alliance with the stolen directional [[Seffle particle|Seffle particles]] prototype. Due to the secrecy of the mission, they could expect no support from other Imperial units and to be operating in enemy territory. Reinhard accepted the operation, being joined by a representative of intelligence, Lieutenant Commander [[Bendling]]. ({{ret|01}})<br />
<br />
[[File:Hassliche entlein bow.png|thumb|210px|Reinhard's second command, ''Hässliche Entlein'' ({{d|792|uc}})]]<br />
After organizing a skirmish between Imperial and Alliance border patrol ships in the Iserlohn Corridor to distract them, ''Hässliche Entlein'' was able to pass into the Alliance side of the Corridor undetected. The cruiser then skirted the edge of Alliance space in an uneventful southward journey to [[Fezzan Corridor]], where it caught Count Herxheimer's vessel and boarded it. In the process, they received valuable intelligence from {{rank|imperial|sub-lieutenant}} [[Neidhart Müller]], then the military attaché at the [[Galactic Empire High Commissioner's office|Imperial diplomatic mission]] on [[Fezzan]]. He and most of his family were killed in a decompression accident aboard the ship, except for [[Margareta von Herxheimer|his daughter]], who was taken aboard ''Hässliche Entlein''. Along with the Count's ship and the prototype generator aboard it—which they could not bring onto their own vessel as it was digitally locked onto his ship—the cruiser then evaded an Alliance patrol squadron while en route back to the Empire. They were able to use the generator to a limited extent, and even in that state it was enough to destroy the pursuing Alliance squadron. After that, Kircheis proposed that they make a deal to get the unlock code to the generator from the Count's daughter in exchange for her being able to defect to the Free Planets Alliance, to which she agreed. ({{ret|02|03}})<br />
<br />
However, not only did the unlock code give access to the Seffle particle generator, but to secret information surrounding Count Herxheimer's attempted defection. The Count had learned that Duke [[Otto von Braunschweig]]'s daughter had inherited a genetic disease from her mother, meaning that Marquis Littenheim's daughter did as well, considering that their wives were sisters. That made them both ineligible claimants for the Imperial throne by the [[Inferior Genes Exclusion Act]]. Thus Littenheim tried to have him killed to suppress knowledge of that fact, prompting his defection. Reinhard and Kircheis were the only others, besides intelligence officer Bendling (who chose to defect to the Alliance with the Count's daughter), who were aware of the information. A short while later, ''Hässliche Entlein'' was able to return to Iserlohn Fortress after using the Seffle particle generator to break through an Alliance blockade and receiving supplies from supply ships led by [[Ernst von Eisenach]]. ({{ret|04}})<br />
<br />
===Imperial Military Police===<br />
[[File:Steger denouncing.jpg|thumb|210px|left|Reinhard confronting the military school principal ({{d|793|uc}})]]<br />
Following the success of their operation, Reinhard received a promotion and transfer from the ''Hässliche Entlein'' back to Odin, where he visited his alma mater, the War Academy. As a seventeen-year old {{rank|imperial|captain|lc}}, he naturally was respected and admired by most of the cadets. After observing the school for a day Reinhard and Kircheis received their new assignment in the [[Imperial Military Police]]. Reinhard was annoyed by this as it would not give him the opportunity to distinguish himself and get a promotion, to which Kircheis reminded him it would be valuable to know how the MPs worked and that out of the Goldenbaum Dynasty's institutions, the Military Police was one that needed reform the most. It was during this time that Reinhard first learned of [[Ulrich Kesler]], a Fleet officer who transferred to the Military Police as an observer, and his efforts to try to keep the MPs from severely punishing a woman for ''lèse-majesté'', only for all of his work to have ultimately been in vain. It again incited Reinhard to go on a rant about the degenerate state of the Empire before he was interrupted by a call from the chief of police to receive his new orders: go back to the school to investigate a murder that took place the night before. ({{dmsn|01}})<br />
<br />
A cadet named [[Karl von Reifeisen]] had been found murdered. Reinhard and Kircheis then investigated the matter, briefly interrupted by the death of his father Sebastian von Müsel. A second murder was later committed, of cadet [[Johann Gottholp von Bertz]]. Although Kircheis noted that Reinhard did not have to become an expert in everything, the two were able to solve the case, despite Reinhard's initial lack of interest in the assignment. In the process of the investigation they discovered that Reifeisen's death was an accident, but the school principal [[Gerhard von Steger]], the first to find his body, attempted to make it look like a murder both to prevent any accusations of negligence on his part, and to assist his grandson, who was third in the class. Bertz was the second in their class, and Steger killed him to remove an obstacle and to implicate [[Moritz von Haase]], at the top of the class, as the killer. Reinhard and Kircheis confronted Steger and explained the results of their investigation to him, taking him into custody shortly afterwards. Haase, who they discovered was color-blind and lied about this defect to get into military school, was also taken away, against Reinhard's wishes, who again saw it as an example of the folly of Kaiser [[Rudolf von Goldenbaum|Rudolf the Great]]'s policies; since this cadet with a genetic problem had been at the top of his class in military school. ({{dmsn|02|03|04}})<br />
<br />
===Fleet command===<br />
[[File:Tannhaeuser in Van-Fleet.jpg|thumb|210px|Reinhard aboard the bridge of ''[[Tannhäuser]]'' near Van-Fleet ({{d|794|uc}})]]<br />
Having been promoted to {{rank|imperial|commodore|lc}}, the eighteen-year old Reinhard commanded a small squadron of the elderly {{rank|imperial|Vice Admiral}} [[Richard von Grimmelshausen]]'s [[Grimmelshausen Fleet|fleet]] at the [[Battle of Van-Fleet]] in March {{d|794|uc}}. The battle was viewed by Reinhard as completely useless and strategically insignificant, and initially Reinhard's squadron was placed in reserve along with the rest of the Grimmelshausen Fleet, much to the young commodore's frustration. The Imperial commander-in-chief, [[Gregor von Mückenberger]], saw the old admiral as a liability and sent his force to the fourth planet orbiting [[Van-Fleet (star)|Van-Fleet]], Van Fleet 4-2. Unbeknownst to the Imperials, an Alliance rear support supply base had been constructed on the planet. Reinhard voiced this possibility to Grimmelshausen and offered to lead the recon team on the ground, but Commodore [[Hermann von Lüneburg]]—an officer who specialized in ground warfare—asked to take command. The entire fleet proceeds to land on the surface, with Reinhard remaining aboard his flagship initially before taking part in an assault on the Alliance facility as the vice commander, below Lüneburg. This frustrates him as well, both because they are the same rank and the man's condescending attitude. It was the beginning of the rivalry between the two. ({{hbshbl|01|02|04}})<br />
<br />
Over the course of the battle, Reinhard and Kircheis entered the Alliance base with Imperial forces and personally captured the base commander, {{rank|fpa|Vice Admiral}} [[Sinclair Cerebrese]]. As a result, Reinhard and Lüneburg were both promoted to {{rank|imperial|rear admiral|lc}} while Grimmelshausen was made a full {{rank|imperial|admiral|lc}}. Back on Odin after the engagement, the young flag officer had Kircheis check Lüneburg's background, and also visited Annerose once again, where he complained about Kircheis being refused a promotion. This changed soon after when Admiral Grimmelshausen recommended Reinhard's redheaded friend for a promotion. Not long after that Reinhard and Kircheis heard about a rumor spreading through the Imperial court which stated that Kaiser Friedrich IV planned to bestow upon Reinhard a new title, the Countship of Lohengramm, on his twentieth birthday. Reinhard uncharacteristically reacted positively to the suggestion. Reinhard later visited a party hosted by Grimmelshausen that celebrated his promotion to admiral, which included among its guest list, Lüneburg, with whom he nearly got into a fistfight with after Luneburg accused Reinhard of impropriety with his wife. ({{hbshbl|06|07|08}})<br />
<br />
[[File:Friedrich IV and Grimmelshausen.jpg|thumb|210px|left|Kaiser Friedrich and Grimmelshausen discuss awarding Reinhard a countship ({{d|794|uc}})]]<br />
Later in the year both officers returned to the front lines for the [[Sixth Battle of Iserlohn]]. In the early part of the campaign Reinhard amassed several victories during the initial skirmishes ahead of the Alliance main fleet's arrival for the assault on Iserlohn, but received little attention from his superiors. The [[Free Planets Star Fleet]], however, became aware that there was a capable Imperial fleet commander at work who had handed them several stinging defeats and made attempts to entrap him using a plan developed by Yang. Outnumbered ten to one, Reinhard lost a third of his fleet breaking out of the trap. Later the Alliance completed its full deployment and began the Sixth Battle of Iserlohn proper. During the main engagement Reinhard's fleet was held in reserve. When [[Iserlohn Fortress]] was under dangerous bombardment by Alliance missile ships he launched an attack without orders, driving them away. He then seized the initiative and struck the Alliance flank, forcing them to counterattack on a narrow front where their numbers could not overwhelm his much smaller force. Rushing to join the battle, other Imperial fleets blocked the fire of Thor's Hammer and the battle became a melee (as Reinhard had predicted). ({{hbshbl|10|11}})<br />
<br />
Reinhard's rival Lüneburg was killed leading a boarding action during this phase of the fighting. Meanwhile, while his squadron was being resupplied in Iserlohn Fortress, Reinhard met with Ulrich Kesler, who explained that Grimmelshausen sent him his memoirs which included information he had learned from various [[Nobility|high nobles]] over the years, including incriminating, secretive information. However, Reinhard declined and asked Kesler to keep the Grimmelshausen's book with the information, to be made public when the nobility of the Empire "are no longer in power." The blond rear admiral did not want to resort to blackmail to further his career. Meanwhile, back on the battlefield, Reinhard proposed to Mückenberger a plan to end the stalemate: to block the other end of the Iserlohn Corridor, which would make them break off the attack or be trapped and destroyed. Reinhard was appointed to command this force and the Alliance Star Fleet took the bait, following him and trying to withdraw from Iserlohn. The disengage Imperial Fleet then retreated as well, allowing the [[Thor Hammer]] superlaser to be used against the retreating Alliance ships to a decisive effect. ({{hbshbl|11|12}})<br />
<br />
===The Third Battle of Tiamat===<br />
[[File:Reinhard pinpoint attack in Tiamat.jpg|thumb|210px|Reinhard's concentrated fire that won at Tiamat ({{d|795|uc}})]]<br />
To commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of Kaiser Friedrich's ascension to the throne (a rare feat in the Goldenbaum Dynasty) in December {{d|794|uc}}, the Galactic Empire announces a large new offensive against the Alliance, partly to distract the Imperial people from his lack of domestic accomplishments. This information is reported to the Alliance government via [[Dominion of Fezzan|Fezzan]] and soon several fleets are deployed to meet this threat. The two sides engaged each other in the historically known [[Tiamat Starzone]] in February {{d|795|uc}}. Reinhard's formation was initially kept in reserve as the battle began, by order of [[Gregor von Mückenberger]]. However, the young vice admiral had the opportunity to play a key role when [[Willem Holland]]'s [[11th Fleet]] charged directly into the Imperial formation, ahead of the other Alliance fleets. Chaos ensued, and Reinhard moved his fleet back, which encouraged Holland to think that the Imperial line was breaking. Orders from Vice Admiral [[Alexander Bucock]] of the [[5th Fleet]] to withdraw were ignored by Holland, who pressed the attack. However, the main Imperial body under Mückenberger's command eventually was able to disentangle itself from Holland's 11th Fleet, who by then had megalomaniac visions of invading the Empire himself from there. That gave Reinhard the opportunity to have his fleet launch a concentrated artillery attack at one point in the enemy formation, the center. The 11th Fleet flagship ''[[Epimetheus]]'' was instantly destroyed, Holland being killed instantly. Another barrage three minutes later broke the remaining 11th Fleet ships into a full retreat. ({{tbt|01}})<br />
<br />
The retreat of the 11th Fleet was covered by their comrades in the 5th and [[10th Fleet]]s, however, preventing an effective Imperial pursuit and prompting Reinhard to admire the abilities of the 5th and 10th Fleet commanders. The Empire then withdrew, having achieved a propaganda victory by practically annihilating the Alliance's 11th Fleet. Some dismissed his artillery attack that decided the battle as just luck, but the fact remained that Reinhard's action was decisive in the victory. Thus his promotion to admiral was assured. ({{tbt|02}})<br />
<br />
==Later military career==<br />
===The Battle of Legnica===<br />
[[File:Brunhild crest ONW (BD).jpg|thumb|210px|left|Future Imperial Supreme Flagship ''Brünhild'' ({{d|795|uc}})]]<br />
With the victory at the Third Battle of Tiamat, Reinhard was promoted to the Admiralty—becoming the youngest full admiral in the Galactic Empire. As an admiral, Reinhard was given command of a [[Lohengramm Fleet|fleet]] and his own, a one-of-a-kind warship, the ''[[Brünhild]]''—the bloodthirsty maiden. It was an experimental battleship, the only one of its class, constructed with advanced technologies that ignored to mass production costs. Among its various upgrades was advanced command and control equipment that allowed Reinhard to direct massive fleets of warships. The vessel did not have to wait long to see its first action, as Imperial Admiral Reinhard von Müsel was ordered to command his expeditionary fleet to Iserlohn. ({{tbt|2}}; {{ffc|1r|full}})<br />
<br />
Upon arrival to the fortress, Reinhard von Müsel's expeditionary fleet was ordered to intercept an Alliance fleet that had approached the area in further in the Corridor by the commander-in-chief, Fleet Admiral Mückenberger. The recently arrived Imperial reinforcements were exhausted from the long journey to Iserlohn: the order to attack was a transparent attempt to get Reinhard killed: many of the nobility were jealous of Reinhard's favour with the Kaiser, believing he had been granted a command at such a young age solely because of his sister's influence. Reinhard encountered the Alliance fleet into the atmosphere of the planet [[Legnica]], a gas giant in the Tiamat Starzone. In the upper layers of the atmosphere, the ships of both fleets were forced to fight at extremely close-ranges, as sensors and communications were virtually non-functional. Reinhard ordered his fleet to engage the enemy in close combat for several minutes, having each ship fire all of its cannons as frequently as possible. This rapidly energized the upper layer of Legnica's atmosphere, creating a massive wind storm that propelled a great deal of the hydrogen and helium in the atmosphere upward. Reinhard then had his fleet rise up out of the atmosphere, where he then fired a single nuclear missile from the ''Brünhild'' to Legnica's core. When the nuclear warhead detonated, it ignited the atmosphere: the Alliance fleet took heavy damage in the ensuing firestorm. ({{mciss}})<br />
<br />
Though Reinhard von Müsel had managed to inflict heavy losses on the Alliance fleet with only token losses to his own forces, he was not given proper credit for his victory, as the weather conditions were assumed by his superiors to have been a natural phenomenon and his victory attributed to luck. This further strengthened the perception that Reinhard was an incompetent commander who had only achieved his rank by "hiding under his sister's skirts", further encouraging contempt for him on behalf of the high nobles. ({{mciss}})<br />
<br />
===The Fourth Battle of Tiamat===<br />
[[File:Kircheis Reinhard Mecklinger.jpg|thumb|210px|Reinhard, Kircheis, and chief of staff [[Ernest Mecklinger]] ({{d|795|uc}})]]<br />
The Free Planets Alliance chose to continue with their plans to assault Iserlohn Fortress despite their defeat at Legnica. The Imperial fleets stationed at Iserlohn, under the command of Gregor von Mückenberger, sailed forth to meet the Alliance fleet head on: Reinhard von Müsel's fleet was positioned at the left wing of the formation. Determined to be rid of the "Admiral of the Skirts" once and for all, Mückenberger ordered Reinhard's formation to advance on the Alliance fleets alone as a diversionary measure: the rest of the Imperial Fleet would maintain is position, meaning Reinhard's smaller force would be annihilated by the vastly more numerous Alliance ships. Reinhard complied with the order but staked his survival on a complete gamble. He advanced his fleet toward the enemy formation alone, but rather than open fire on them once he was in range, however, Reinhard had his entire fleet turn ninety degrees to the right. The blond admiral's fleet then slowly moved in front of the Alliance fleet, utterly exposed. Unable to comprehend why an enemy intentionally made itself so vulnerable, the Alliance fleet commanders refused to attack Reinhard's forces, believing his maneuver to be some sort of elaborate trick. Their inaction allowed Reinhard to position his forces along the left flank of the Alliance formation. ({{mciss}})<br />
<br />
By the time they realized their error, the main Imperial Fleet had entered combat range, forcing the Alliance invasion force to deal with the main Imperial force, ignoring Reinhard's detachment. The Imperial fleet was roughly equal in size to the Alliance fleet, turning the battle into a violent brawl. Understanding he had been outsmarted by the young admiral, Mückenberger refused to ask Reinhard's fleet to attack: Mückenberger believed that he was similarly petty, and would not move to aid the besieged Imperial forces unless ordered to do so. Reinhard, however, realized that the gratitude of the thousands of soldiers whose lives he could save by attacking the Alliance flank far outweighed the ire he would earn from embarrassing Mückenberger. He ordered his fleet to attack, and in moments the Alliance forces were facing a rout. ({{mciss}})<br />
[[File:Yang under Brunhild 2.jpg|''Ulysses'' takes ''Brünhild'' hostage ({{d|795|uc}})|thumb|left|210px]]<br />
<br />
At this point, the Alliance forces decided they had no choice but to retreat. They were determined to launch a diversionary attack directly against Iserlohn Fortress, to draw off the bulk of the Imperial fleet and buy enough time for them to escape. {{rank|fpa|Commodore}} [[Yang Wen-li]] volunteered to lead the diversionary attack: he took a single battleship, the ''[[Ulysses]]'', with a skeleton crew along with 4 unmanned cruisers straight for Iserlohn. Using sensor decoys, Yang Wen-li was able to fool the Imperial Fleet into thinking he was leading a fleet of several thousand warships toward the undefended fortress. Mückenberger immediately ordered the fleet to go back to Iserlohn, and taking advantage of this opportunity, the Alliance began to retreat while inflicting additional losses upon the Imperial commander's main force. Fortunately, Reinhard immediately realized the Alliance fleet was a decoy operation, and managed to reveal this fact to Mückenberger. This prompted the Fleet Admiral to resume the attack on the Alliance forces, preventing them from retreating. Determined to save the lives of his fellow soldiers, Yang Wen-li then flew his battleship straight into the heart of the Imperial Fleet. There, he assumed a position immediately beneath the ''Brünhild'', effectively taking Reinhard von Müsel hostage. Reinhard ordered his forces to disregard his own safety and open fire on Yang Wen-li's ship, but they refused, with Captain [[Karl Robert Steinmetz]] saying that as the captain of the flagship he would not put it into unnecessary danger, a statement that Reinhard accepted. Mückenberger also did not fire, unwilling to risk the political damage of directly killing the brother of Kaiser Friedrich's favored concubine. Both the Imperial and Alliance fleets held fire on each other until they had passed, at which point Yang left the battlefield, monitored by Reinhard. ({{mciss}})<br />
<br />
After the Fourth Battle of Tiamat, Reinhard was promoted to High Admiral, and firmly established a reputation for himself as a brilliant tactician because of his actions during the engagement. Furthermore, Reinhard went to lengths to learn the name of the Alliance officer who had managed to open up a path to safety for the retreating Alliance forces, while at the same time Yang Wen-li had sought out the name of the commander of the white ship. From this point on, the rivalry with Yang Wen-li would help to define Reinhard's life. ({{mciss}})<br />
<br />
===Astarte and other developments===<br />
[[File:Conspiring.jpg|thumb|210px|The three military chiefs deciding on Reinhard's deployment ({{d|796|uc}})]]<br />
Having secured a reputation as a skilled military officer at Tiamat, Reinhard received a hero's welcome at the Imperial City on Odin, where he was promoted to {{rank|imperial|high admiral|lc}} and is formally granted the title of Count von Lohengramm by His Majesty the Kaiser. Although he did not expect to be deployed any time soon, the scheming of Duke Otto von Braunschweig, the most powerful aristocrat in the Empire, and other high nobles—who by that point had no choice but to acknowledge the young high admiral and despised him—resulted in the High Command Office deciding to send him back to the front. Not only that, but as he found out, most of his top officers in the [[Lohengramm Fleet]] (including chief of staff [[Ernest Mecklinger]], fleet commanders [[Oskar von Reuenthal]] and [[Wolfgang Mittermeyer]], and even the ''Brünhild'''s captain Steinmetz) were to be temporarily replaced by other commanders that he had not worked with for this operation. Although Kircheis was unenthusiastic, Reinhard was glad and saw it as an opportunity to gain even more accolades for advancement. He was ordered to lead a fleet of 20,000 vessels to invade Alliance space. However, the details were leaked by Duke von Braunschweig via [[Dominion of Fezzan|Fezzani]] leader [[Adrian Rubinsky]] to the Alliance government, and they dispatched the [[2nd Fleet]], [[4th Fleet]], and [[6th Fleet]] to counter him. ({{onw}})<br />
<br />
The fleet under Reinhard advanced towards the [[Astarte Starzone]]. The three Alliance fleets were divided and intended to attack the Imperial force from three sides, encircling the enemy formation in a repeat of the historical [[Battle of Dagon]], around 156 years earlier. Since the three different fleets, while greater in total number, were weaker than Reinhard's force on an individual level, he decided to speed up and annihilate each one of them individually before they could meet up. This resulted in the near-total destruction of the 4th and 6th Fleets before he attacked the 2nd Fleet, where the actions of Yang Wen-li, who took command upon Vice Admiral [[Paetta]] becoming injured, prevented it from suffering the same fate as its comrades. Nonetheless, the [[Battle of Astarte]] ended as an overwhelming Imperial victory despite the overall numerical inferiority of Reinhard's forces. Shortly after this victory he was promoted to rank of Fleet Admiral, an unprecedented achievement for someone of his age, and was made Vice Commander of the Imperial Space Fleet. In this position he commanded around a third of the fleets in the Empire, and after the fall of Iserlohn Fortress, he was put in charge of the war front on the Imperial side of the Iserlohn Corridor. Reinhard was also granted his own admiralty, and selected talented individuals he had encountered over his previous military service to staff his new command. These young commanders—commoners and lesser nobility—had previously been in low ranking positions, with their talents and initiative unrecognized and unappreciated by hierarchical and largely highborn senior officers. ({{logh|001|002|004|005|011}}, {{onw}})<br />
<br />
Among his admiralty were most notably Wolfgang Mittermeyer and Oskar von Reuenthal, who were known to be particularly talented fleet commanders. Their history with Reinhard went back further than that, however. On 2 May {{d|795|uc}}, Reuenthal visited Reinhard and Kircheis, asking them for assistance to free his best friend Mittermeyer. He had executed a noble-born subordinate for a crime against a civilian, following martial law, but since Mittermeyer was a commoner he was then illegally detained by some high nobles and kept in prison. Reuenthal confirmed his views on the state of the Goldenbaum Dynasty and subsequently pledged fealty to Reinhard in exchange for helping free Mittermeyer from the high nobles, which they did. Afterwards both of the young commanders became loyal followers of Reinhard, at least initially. ({{logh|075}})<br />
<br />
[[File:Reinhard 3.jpg|thumb|left|210px|Reinhard at Astarte ({{d|796|uc}})]]<br />
Shortly afterwards, Reinhard assigned his friend Kircheis (who was a rear admiral at the time) to lead the effort in suppressing the [[Castrop Rebellion]]. The Emperor had ordered the blond admiral to requisition [[Maximilian von Castrop]]'s wealth, stolen from the Imperial state, and to quell the noble's revolt. Reinhard made the decision to send Kircheis in his place so that he could gain his own accolades, to establish a reputation as a skilled tactician in his own right. The two developed a strategy to destroy Castrop's main defensive weapon, the [[Artemis Necklace]] (thought to be impregnable), which was to utilize a directional [[Seffle particle]] generator. The ploy worked, and upon the loss of the Necklace, Castrop's subordinates murdered him out of fear of Imperial reprisal. That way the "impregnable" planet was freed by Kircheis' work without the loss of a single life besides Castrop's, increasing his reputation as more than just Reinhard's shadow and joining the ranks of the vice admirals of the Lohengramm admiralty. Kircheis expressed disappointment to Reinhard at the death of the noble, to which Reinhard replied that he considered Kircheis to be a "good man." ({{logh|005}})<br />
<br />
After the [[Seventh Battle of Iserlohn]] (which occurred about five months after the victory at Astarte) and the loss of Iserlohn Fortress to the Alliance, the three Imperial Chiefs of Staff sought to resign from their positions: it was obvious that one of the vacancies would be given to Reinhard. Instead, when Kaiser Friedrich IV gave Reinhard the choice of any of the three vacant seats, Reinhard begged the Kaiser not to dismiss any of the Chiefs of Staff, urging him to be lenient: those responsible for the defeat had already been punished by their own actions. The minister of state and acting Imperial premier, [[Klaus von Lichtenlade]], agreed with Reinhard (taken aback by the young admiral's decision), and Friedrich IV determined not to punish anyone for the loss of the fortress. In return for Reinhard's unexpected intercession on their behalf the three Imperial Chiefs of Staff dropped any attempts to punish [[Paul von Oberstein]], a staff officer of the Iserlohn Stationed Fleet who had escaped the fall of the fortress, and whom Reinhard then took on as an advisor. Oberstein had proven himself to be capable in politics in a way that Reinhard and Kircheis were not, and was an ardent opponent of the Goldenbaum Dynasty. He, like Reuenthal and Mittermeyer, would prove to be an important player in the Lohengramm camp in the years to come. ({{logh|008}})<br />
<br />
===Alliance invasion of the Empire===<br />
[[File:Konigs sun.jpg|210px|thumb|Ships of the Imperial [[Black Lancers]] at Amritsar ({{d|796|uc}})]]<br />
When Yang Wen-li captured Iserlohn Fortress, he hoped that the Free Planets Alliance, whose economy was in shambles after more than a century of continual warfare, would seek an equitable peace treaty. Instead, the ruling [[High Council]] of the Alliance, motivated by political gain, and some overly ambitious junior officers under [[Andrew Falk]] who sought personal advancement, saw an opportunity to strike into the heart of the Empire and to 'liberate' the people of the Galactic Empire from their oppressors. As Vice Commander of the Imperial Fleet, Fleet Admiral Reinhard von Lohengramm was tasked with the [[Invasion of the Imperial Territory|defense of the Empire]] by Emperor Friedrich. At the counsel of his advisor, Paul von Oberstein, Reinhard pursued a "scorched earth" strategy. Rather than engage the invading Alliance fleets directly, he had Imperial warships remove all supplies from every world in the immediate path of the Alliance force, leaving the people to rely on the Alliance "liberators" to feed them. Because he knew the Alliance invasion hinged upon the idea of liberating the peasants from the Kaiser's rule, Reinhard correctly calculated that the Alliance occupation forces would need to feed the civilians—thus creating a strained and long line of supply from Iserlohn. Once this supply line was attacked and severed by Vice Admiral Siegfried Kircheis, the invading Alliance troops soon found themselves to be under-supplied and starving along with the Imperial civilians. The people of the occupied planets, though initially thankful for the liberation, soon turned on the occupying Alliance forces who had resorted to confiscating food from the civilians. ({{logh|012|013|014|015}})<br />
<br />
As the scattered Alliance fleets, suffering from the lack of supplies and a drop in morale, reached the height of their fatigue, the Imperial Fleet launched its counteroffensive. Although many of their commanders realized there was no chance of winning, they attempted to make a stand, but ultimately suffered heavy losses before succumbing to Reinhard's stratagem. However, due to the speed and swiftness of these attacks, only three of the Alliance fleets were able to maintain combat capability (Yang's [[13th Fleet|13th]], Bucock's 5th, and [[Appleton]]'s [[8th Fleet|8th]]), the others all being destroyed, severely diminished, or having surrendered. Meanwhile, the commander-in-chief of the Alliance expeditionary force, Fleet Admiral [[Lassalle Lobos]], unwilling to relinquish his gains or admit defeat in the invasion, ordered all remaining forces to gather at the [[Amritsar Starzone]] in an attempt battle the combined Imperial Fleet directly ''en masse''. Reinhard was more than willing to oblige. At the [[Battle of Amritsar]], Reinhard personally led the obliteration of the Free Planets Alliance invasion force. After the loss of much of the 8th and 5th Fleets, the 13th Fleet and the surviving remnants of the others managed to withdraw due to Yang's tactics and cooperation with Bucock. Despite the Empire's ultimate victory, Reinhard was nonetheless frustrated with Yang being able to prevent him from achieving "total victory" over the remaining Alliance forces, taking out his anger on vice admiral [[Fritz Joseph Bittenfeld]] for a tactical blunder he made during the battle until Kircheis advised him to not make enemies of his subordinates. ({{logh|015}})<br />
<br />
Following their disastrous defeat, the devastated Alliance forces withdrew to Iserlohn Fortress with Yang's 13th Fleet remaining the only combat capable formation out of those that had taken part in the invasion. The Alliance had lost around two-thirds of its military strength, over twenty million troops. However, any thought of celebration in the Empire was quickly muted by a surprising development: the death of the Emperor from a heart attack. ({{logh|015|016}})<br />
<br />
===The Imperial Civil War===<br />
[[File:Erwin Josef II coronation.png|thumb|210px|left|Reinhard and Lichtenlade at the coronation of Erwin Josef ({{d|796|uc}})]]<br />
No sooner had the Free Planets Alliance been routed at Amritsar, did Reinhard learn that Kaiser Friedrich IV had died peacefully in his sleep, thus robbing Reinhard of his vengeance. There was no official heir-apparent since Crown Prince [[Ludwig]]'s death some years ago, thus it was inevitable that a struggle would occur over the throne between the Kaiser's immediate grandchildren: [[Elisabeth von Braunschweig]], [[Sabine von Littenheim]], and [[Erwin Josef II|Erwin Josef von Goldenbaum]]. The first two hailed from the two most powerful aristocratic families in the Empire, while Erwin Josef (five years old at the time) was the son of the deceased Crown Prince. Kaiser Friedrich's former minister of state and prime minister, Klaus von Lichtenlade, wanted to see the boy on the throne in order to be able to use him, rather than let either Otto von Braunschweig or Wilhelm von Littenheim take his position. Thus he sought Reinhard's assistance, as being a civil servant he had no military forces of his own. Paul von Oberstein foresaw this and thus Reinhard chose to support Lichtenlade, although both harbored no illusions that they were merely using each other. Lichtenlade became the Imperial regent and elevated his peerage to Duke, while Reinhard gained the title of . ({{logh|016}})<br />
<br />
It was also during this time that he first met [[Hildegard von Mariendorf]], the daughter of Count [[Franz von Mariendorf]], a high noble family that decided to side with him in the coming struggle rather than Braunschweig. Hildegard visited him shortly before the beginning of the conflict and pledged her family's fealty to him, in exchange for a guarantee of their wealth and territory. She would play an important role in rallying some [[Nobility#Reformer Nobles|reformist nobles]] to Reinhard's camp. ({{logh|018}})<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, many of the high nobles saw this as a blatant attempt by Reinhard and Lichtenlade to usurp the Imperial throne from the Goldenbaum family, the final straw in what they saw as Reinhard's treason against the dynasty. These reactionary nobles, led by Duke von Braunschweig and Prince von Littenheim, rallied and created their own organization to counter the influence of the Lohengramm–Lichtenlade axis and defend the old order, becoming known as the [[Lippstadt League]]. Their combined arms and wealth were greater than those of the central government, and so Reinhard struck preemptively in an attempt to pacify them. While they did seize control of government buildings and arrested some high nobles, the majority managed to escape, including Braunschweig and Littenheim. They gathered on [[Geiersburg Fortress]], their new headquarters, and named the renowned Imperial High Admiral [[Willibald Joachim von Merkatz]] as the commander-in-chief of the Lippstadt allied forces. As they were revolting against the child Kaiser, Reinhard had the nobles named the "Rebel Forces" in official documents, the same name that the Empire had used to refer to the Free Planets Alliance ever since the [[Battle of Dagon]] over 150 years earlier. Lichtenlade's government named Reinhard von Lohengramm the holder of all three offices of the Imperial Chiefs of Staff simultaneously, making him the Imperial Fleet Supreme Commander. ({{logh|016|018}})<br />
<br />
[[File:Reinhard 4.jpg|thumb|210px|Reinhard during the civil war ({{d|797|uc}})]]<br />
Reinhard himself oversaw the main operation against Geiersburg Fortress, while leaving his friend High Admiral Kircheis to pacify the noble-controlled frontier and other sectors. Under his command, the loyalist Imperial forces were able to drive the Lippstadt fleet back towards Geiersburg in the [[Freya Starzone]], where the high nobles took refuge in the fortress. Eventually, they left and attempted to [[Assault on Geiersburg Fortress|break the siege]], only to be beaten back. However, the Imperial Fleet's success over the numerically superior Lippstadt forces led to the nobles becoming increasingly aggravated. Whena revolt occurred on the planet [[Westerland]] and the local lord, [[Scheidt|a relative]] of Duke von Braunschweig, was murdered by his subjects, he ordered a nuclear strike on the planet. The Duke ignored the advice of his commanders and the attack was launched. Reinhard initially wanted to intercept it, but procrastinated in making a final decision as Oberstein wanted to let it go ahead and use it for propaganda purposes against the nobles. Oberstein did not tell Reinhard the correct time in which the attack would reach the planet, and it happened before he made a decision. A reconnaissance ship documented the [[Westerland Massacre|massacre]] and the images were beamed throughout the Empire, eliminating any of the popular support that the Lippstadt League might of had. However, the fact that Reinhard essentially played a role in this tragedy would haunt him for the rest of his life. ({{logh|020|022|089}})<br />
<br />
Not long after that, the nobles in Geiersburg became increasingly depressed while the fortress garrison became restless and began to rebel. Braunschweig decided to lead his forces in a final charge against the enemy, only for it to be routed. After he arrived at the fortress, a mass mutiny broke out among the troops and the Duke himself was forced to commit suicide by his chief retainer, Commodore [[Ansbach]]. Reinhard then arrived triumphantly at Geiersburg as the final resistance had ceased. However, when Ansbach presented the Duke's body to the victorious Reinhard, he pulled out a hidden weapon from within Braunschweig's corpse and attempted to fire at the young admiral. Siegfried Kircheis immediately attempted to shield Reinhard, and was killed as a result. Reinhard went into a inconsolable depression, and refused to see anyone. Seeing this, his admirals decided to take matters into their own hands. At the advice of Paul von Oberstein, both the assassination attempt and the murder of Kircheis were blamed on the Imperial Regent, Klaus von Lichtenlade. Reinhard's subordinates subsequently sent their fleets to the capital, Odin, to arrest Lichtenlade. ({{logh|023|025|026}})<br />
<br />
As Reinhard remained on Geiersburg, the Imperial fleets landed on Odin and seized control of the capital. Lichtenlade was arrested and forced to commit suicide, while the [[Imperial Seal]] was retrieved and transferred to Reinhard himself, thereby firmly established his new and total authority over the Empire. However, this victory was blackened by the death of Kircheis and the subsequent decision by his sister Annerose into withdrawing into seclusion on Odin, feeling guilty over her brother's friend's death. His remark to Oskar von Reuenthal over the fate of the defeated Lichtenlade's family, that he could also try challenging him if he felt he could do it, would also be the beginning of an emotional crisis in Reuenthal that would see its conclusion years later in a dramatic fashion. ({{logh|026}})<br />
<br />
==Prime minister==<br />
===Reforming the Reich===<br />
[[File:PMresidence.png|thumb|210px|Jubilant crowds in front of Prime Minister Lohengramm's [[Prime Minister's official residence|office]], Odin ({{d|798|uc}})]]<br />
With the fall of both Lichtenlade and the high nobles, Reinhard was left as the single most powerful figure in the country, and after being appointed Prime Minister of the Galactic Empire (simultaneously as the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet), Reinhard set about implementing drastic reforms. He received help from reformist nobles such as [[Hildegarde von Mariendorf]], [[Eugen Richter]], and [[Karl Braque]], the latter two being cabinet ministers who gave up their noble titles to serve Reinhard. The child Emperor Erwin Josef II was not a threat and was essentially a puppet, and thus Prime Minister Duke von Lohengramm became the ''de facto'' dictator of the Empire. Among those reforms he instituted early on, starting in January {{d|798|uc}}, were nationalizing the wealth of the defeated high nobles, which alleviated the Empire's economic problems in a single decision, as well as abolishing the traditional class system itself—much to the support of the common people. The promotion of civil liberties and other rights that would have been unthinkable just a couple of years ago became the new norm. Although the Goldenbaum Dynasty ''de jure'' remained in power, its foundations were effectively being swept away. However, despite his success in seizing control of the Empire, Reinhard continued to suffer an emotional crisis over the death of Kircheis and the withdrawal of his sister Annerose into seclusion as a result of Kircheis' death. ({{logh|027}})<br />
<br />
At the same time, during this early period of reform, the Lohengramm government became entangled in the plots of the Fezzani autonomous region leader, [[Adrian Rubinsky]]. Seeing that the Empire had been strengthened by its [[Imperial Civil War|civil war]] while the [[Alliance Civil War|one]] in the Alliance had weakened it, he decided to allow the Empire to conquer the devastated Alliance so that Fezzan could seize control of this new regime. To that effect, their first plan was to pitch the idea of putting warp-capable engines on Geiersburg Fortress and using it to attack Iserlohn, sending the information regarding that plan to the Imperial Fleet's science and technology inspector general, Admiral [[Anton Hilmer von Schaft]]. Schaft proposed the plan and it was accepted by Reinhard, but not with much enthusiasm, as the public and the Imperial leadership were largely not in favor of any more war and would rather have a period of rebuilding. Nonetheless, Reinhard authorized the plan to mobilize Geiersburg Fortress to Iserlohn, and the testing the new engines was successful on 18 March {{d|798|uc}}. At the same time, unbeknownst to Reinhard or the Empire, the Fezzanis had gone to work in arranging that Yang Wen-li, who had been appointed as commander-in-chief, Iserlohn, was summoned by the Alliance government away from the fortress before the Imperial attack. After Reinhard gave the order, Geiersburg entered the Iserlohn Corridor on April 10. ({{logh|028|029|030|031}})<br />
<br />
Even as the Geiersburg deployment was playing out, the Fezzanis hatched yet another scheme to keep the Alliance and Empire from realizing that they could coexist and make it inevitable that one had to destroy the other. As part of this scheme, two former Lippstadt League veterans who were living in exile on Fezzan, Count [[Alfred von Landsberg]] and Captain [[Leopold Schumacher]], were hired by Rubinsky's aide [[Rupert Kesserling]] to kidnap the child Emperor and bring him to the Alliance, where they would set up a "legitimate" [[Galactic Empire Legitimate Government|government-in-exile]] with the other high nobles. Ultimately, the Iserlohn garrison was able to hold out without Yang, and he eventually returned. At that point, the combined Alliance forces were able to defeat the Imperial invaders and destroy Geiersburg. This defeat enraged Reinhard, who had not expected [[Karl Gustav Kempff]] to lose 90% of his forces in this attempt. The young Imperial dictator had appointed Kempff to the position of Geiersburg commander, but had remarked he was the kind of admiral who was no longer useful if he lived too long. Although he outwardly mourned the demise of Kempff, it still made one of his chief retainers, High Admiral Oskar von Reuenthal, uneasy, and set the early seeds of what would manifest itself years later. But Reinhard remembered Kircheis, and how he would have urged restraint on Reinhard's part, and thus decided not to punish Kempff's returning second-in-command, Neidhart Müller. ({{logh|029|030|033|035}})<br />
<br />
===The Emperor's Abduction===<br />
[[File:Kaiserine Catherine coronation.png|thumb|210px|left|Prime Minister Lohengramm announcing the coronation of Empress Catherine ({{d|798|uc}})]]<br />
With the loss of the Geiersburg Fortress and the [[Kempff Fleet]] last spring, the Imperial public was largely against the idea of any further extended warfare, to Reinhard's annoyance. But the Fezzani plan that had been put in motion would culminate during the summer of {{d|798|uc}} and make another confrontation inevitable. In June, the Prime Minister was informed by the Military Police chief Ulrich Kesler that Landsberg and Schumacher arrived on the Imperial capital with Fezzani passports. He orders them to be tracked and after some discussions with his secretary, Hildegarde von Mariendorf, he summoned Fezzan's ambassador on Odin, [[Nicholas Boltik]]. Reinhard deduced the essence of the Fezzani plot to kidnap the child Kaiser, and essentially made a deal to go along with their plan to help him conquer the Alliance, with the kidnapping and the government-in-exile that would be created providing the necessary ''casus belli''. Both men left the discussion being convinced that they were successfully using each other, although Boltik did not surmise the extent of Reinhard's own plan, which was to use the demilitarized Fezzan Corridor to take the Alliance by surprise and avoid attacking Iserlohn. Boltik said he would ask his government about it, but Reinhard secretly made up his mind to seize control of it forcefully. ({{logh|036}})<br />
<br />
Because of this, Reinhard basically permitted Landsberg and Schumacher to go ahead and kidnap the Emperor. On the night of July 6–7, the two Lippstadt veterans carry out their plan and kidnap Erwin Josef II from his palace. Fezzan arranged for them to be taken by a smuggler through the Fezzan Corridor to the Alliance, where they used their influence to make sure the Alliance government under [[Job Trunicht]] went along with their plan. Meanwhile, the young Imperial leader declared a state of emergency and convened a meeting of the High Command, in which he told his admirals to place their fleets into immediate combat readiness. Later, a broadcast from the Alliance revealed the composition of the new "Galactic Empire Legitimate Government" under the Kaiser and led by premier [[Jochen von Remscheid]], a high noble Lippstadt supporter and former Imperial high commissioner to Fezzan. Trunicht also stated the Free Planets Alliance's willingness to assist the former Goldenbaum loyalists in a united front against Reinhard. On August 20, Reinhard officially confirmed the kidnapping of Erwin Josef II and denounced the Alliance government for its responsibility in this matter, thus essentially declaring war. ({{logh|036|037|038}})<br />
<br />
On September 20, Reinhard von Lohengramm proclaimed the abdication of the kidnapped Erwin Josef II, and named eight-month old infant [[Catherine von Goldenbaum]] as his successor on the throne, making her the Empire's first Kaiserin, as well as the 38th and last Goldenbaum monarch. ({{logh|041}})<br />
<br />
===Operation Ragnarök: Fall of the Alliance===<br />
[[File:Reinhard sun(DVD-CA).jpg|thumb|210px|Reinhard arriving on occupied Fezzan ({{d|799|uc}})]]<br />
An invasion plan was quickly developed by Reinhard and his admirals, which was based on using the Fezzan Corridor to invade the Alliance. Boltik decided to cooperate with Reinhard and was to be appointed as the interim governor-general of Fezzan after its occupation. Reinhard then officially announced an operation against Iserlohn, while leaving out the part of their plan to invade Fezzan (which Yang Wen-li foresaw, but was ignored by his government). On the same day that Empress Catherine I was put on the throne, High Admiral Oskar von Reuenthal led a fleet to attack Iserlohn Fortress. The attack served its purpose, to distract the Alliance leadership, while the bulk of Reinhard von Lohengramm's fleets then entered the Fezzan Corridor. In December of {{d|798|uc}}, High Admiral Wolfgang Mittermeyer, the Gale Wolf, successfully invaded and occupied the Dominion of Fezzan, taking Rubinsky completely by surprise and forcing him to go into hiding. Once the planet was firmly under the control of Mittermeyer's forces (although Rubinsky was able to evade capture), the rest of Reinhard's fleets entered Fezzani space. When Duke Reinhard von Lohengramm disembarked the ''Brünhild'' on Fezzan's surface, he was met by the loud cheering of tens of thousands of Imperial sailors, all chanting, 'Sieg mein Kaiser! Sieg Kaiser Reinhard!' The young Imperial dictator celebrated New Year's with his officers on Fezzan before continuing the campaign. ({{logh|041|042|043|044}})<br />
<br />
The first stage of [[Operation Ragnarök]], to secure Fezzan while launching a distraction near Iserlohn, was completed and set the Alliance people and government into a panic. The combined defeats at Astarte, Amritsar, and the civil war had effectively destroyed most of the Free Planets Star Fleet's fighting forces, leaving the [[Yang Fleet]] on Iserlohn and the [[1st Fleet]] on Heinessen as the only combat capable formations. Although the Fleet General Staff Office gave Yang clearance to "do what you think is best", in other words giving him permission to abandon Iserlohn and to come fight against the main Imperial force, some time was necessary for this to be carried out. Meanwhile, the 1st Fleet set forth from the Alliance capital to meet the advancing Imperial forces (the [[Mittermeyer Fleet]] entered Alliance space from the Fezzan Corridor on 8 January {{d|799|uc}}), along with various reserve and systems defense squadrons that collectively became the [[14th Fleet]] and [[15th Fleet]]. This new Combined Fleet was under overall command of Admiral Bucock, the commander-in-chief of the Space Fleet. The two forces clashed in the [[Battle of Rantemario]] (February {{d|799|uc}}), and despite being outnumbered the Alliance forces put up a fierce resistance that ultimately failed to achieve its objective of defeating the Imperials. The Yang Fleet, leaving Iserlohn Fortress for Reuenthal to retake, was not able to arrive in time to prevent them from being defeated, but did distract the Imperial Fleet with an attack from the rear to give time for the surviving Alliance vessels under Bucock to withdraw, and in the coming weeks Admiral Yang waged a guerrilla war against the Imperial invaders. ({{logh|044|045|046|048|049}})<br />
<br />
The Alliance Secretary of Defense [[Walter Islands]] agreed to Yang's plan of using harassment raids on Imperial supply convoys and defeating other Imperial fleets to draw out Reinhard and kill him in battle, which could end the Imperial invasion. Yang was able to successfully destroy the poorly-guarded supply convoy, much to Reinhard's annoyance, who had Rear Admiral [[Sombart]] punished for his failure to defend it. The young Alliance hero was also able to defeat other second-tier admirals under Reinhard, deliberately avoiding Reuenthal and Mittermeyer (Reinhard's "twin pillars"), and finally got Reinhard to decide to draw out Yang by coming to battle himself. ({{logh|049|050}})<br />
<br />
===The Battle of Vermilion===<br />
[[File:Yang Reinhard Vermilion encounter.jpg|thumb|left|210px|The two fleets at Vermillion ({{d|799|uc}})]]<br />
Since the Alliance hoped that that Reinhard's death could cause the Galactic Empire to fragment into another civil war and knowing this, the young conqueror dispersed his admirals, keeping only a relatively small main fleet with himself. He hoped that by using himself as bait he would draw Yang into an open confrontation. This strategy succeeded, and the two opposing fleets reached each other in the [[Vermillion Starzone]] on April 24. In the [[Battle of Vermillion]], Reinhard chose to use attrition tactics to wear down the Alliance forces, however, after Yang was unable to reach the ''Brünhild'', he tried to use a different approach. He used several asteroids from a nearby asteroid field and use his vessels to launch them towards Reinhard's formation, which was then thrown into disarray. However, while Yang then continued towards Reinhard's now exposed flagship, the [[Müller Fleet]] arrived in the system (the first Imperial unit to return) and prevented the Alliance from breaking through. Thus Niedhart Müller redeemed himself for the Geiersburg failure last year, and secured a reputation as the third most capable fleet commander after Reuenthal and Mittermeyer, becoming known as "Iron Wall" Müller. ({{logh|051|052}})<br />
<br />
However, the Müller Fleet was caught in an encirclement along with the bulk of Reinhard's remaining forces by the Alliance, and Yang led a detachment to attack the ''Brünhild''. It was the first tactical defeat in battle that Reinhard faced in his life. However, before they could open fire and finish him off, the Alliance fleet suddenly received an order to stand down and ask for a ceasefire. Hildegard von Mariendorf had foreseen Yang's victory over Reinhard because she believed he was a better tactician, and had asked Reuenthal and Mittermeyer to take their forces to seize the undefended Heinessen, the capital, and forced the Alliance government to surrender. The plan succeeded and the [[High Council]] under Trunicht completely surrendered, ordering Yang to stand down. Yang, although urged by subordinates like [[Walter von Schönkopf]] to fire anyway, decided to obey the order and asked Reinhard for a ceasefire. Soon after, the battle was over and more Imperial fleets began returning to the Vermillion Starzone. The battle became the first and only tactical defeat of Reinhard in his life, although it was ultimately an Imperial strategic victory thanks to Hildegard von Mariendorf's actions. ({{logh|052|053}})<br />
<br />
==New Galactic Empire==<br />
===Establishing a new state===<br />
[[File:Reinhard with crown at throne (BD).jpg|thumb|210px|Reinhard with the crown at his coronation ({{d|799|uc}})]]<br />
Shortly after the battle, Yang boarded a shuttle and arrived on the ''Brünhild'', where he discussed philosophy with Reinhard regarding democracy versus dictatorship, and the two left the discussion agreeing to disagree. In the end, Yang declined Reinhard's offer to make him an Imperial Fleet Admiral, while Reinhard maintained the belief that Yang would have been willing to give up on the Alliance and join him. The young Imperial leader allowed Yang to depart and gave him assurances that he would not exact any revenge on Alliance politicians or military officers. Having secured the Alliance government's surrender, one of the final acts of the Lohengramm government under Goldenbaum rule was to conclude the signing of the [[Treaty of Ba'alat]], which essentially made the Alliance a client state of the Empire. Reinhard himself returned to Odin after appointing [[Helmut Lennenkampf]] as the Imperial consul on Heinessen and on 20 June {{D|799|uc}}, Duke [[Jürgen Offer von Pegnitz]], the father and Imperial regent of the young Kaiserin, signed a letter of abdication on her behalf, seceding her position to the blond admiral. Thus ended the nearly five hundred-year history of the Goldenbaum Dynasty. His coronation as the Kaiser was on June 22, held with a modest ceremony organized by Count [[Franz von Mariendorf]] (Hildegard's father), that Reinhard said would serve as a template from then on as opposed to the pompous and wasteful Goldenbaum era national ceremonies. With his victory over the Alliance, he had become the first [[Goldenlöwe Dynasty]] Kaiser of the [[New Galactic Empire]] and most powerful individual in the galaxy. However, Reinhard was disappointed that the two people he wanted to see there the most—Kircheis and Annerose—were not there. ({{logh|054|055}})<br />
<br />
In the weeks after the coronation, he accelerated the internal reforms that he began as Prime Minister of the previous dynasty. Reinhard chose to continue on as the head of government himself while also being head of state, naming Count Franz von Mariendorf as his deputy, the Minister of State. The young ruler later lamented that had Kircheis been alive, he could have focused solely on political affairs while leaving his friend to manage the military. Reinhard appointed Minister of Industry [[Bruno von Silberberch]] to design the new Imperial City on Fezzan, revealing that he intended to move the Imperial capital there from Odin. He also commissioned the minister of education, Professor [[Seeferd]], to write an official history of the Goldenbaum Dynasty, and later reviewed the formerly secret, now declassified information on Goldenbaum emperors that Seeferd had uncovered. Around the same time, Paul von Oberstein—now the Minister of Military Affairs under the new dynasty—suggested to Reinhard to idea of getting married and producing an heir to secure his rule. However, he implied that the most likely candidate, Hildegard, was not fit for the role as he did not want her to monopolize affairs of the state and become another Kircheis, in essence. Reinhard dismissed such worries from Oberstein and did not take his suggestion too seriously at the time. ({{logh|055|057|058|059}})<br />
<br />
However, during that period, Reinhard paid a visit to the terminally-ill Baron [[Heinrich von Kümmel]]'s estate, as a favor for Count von Mariendorf, who was his guardian. However, the event ended badly when Kümmel tried to take Reinhard hostage with some explosives installed in his backyard under their dining table. He did it mainly out a desire to not die without being remembered for something in history, but the event had actually been organized by the [[Terraism|Terraist Church]]. The assassination attempt on the Kaiser failed, however, when Reinhard hit the bomb detonation switch out of the Baron's hand. The plot resulted in Reinhard ordering the persecution of the Terraist Church, a religion that was previously tolerated by the Empire. Despite [[Internal Security Department]] chief [[Heydrich Lang]], a subordinate of interior minister [[Osmayer]], protesting that they needed more time to conduct a full investigation, Reinhard decided to shut it down by force. Its Odin branch was shut down by force, and soon the new Kaiser ordered an expedition to [[Earth]], the Church headquarters, in order to pacify the group of fanatics for their attempt on his life. For this task he assigned Admiral [[August Samuel Wahlen]]. The Mariendorfs, who were temporarily put under house arrest after the incident, were reinstated in their offices by an edict from the Kaiser and any talk about their involvement in treasonous activity was banned. ({{logh|057|058}})<br />
<br />
===War with Earth and Lennenkampf affair===<br />
[[File:ImperialWAFVgunhatch.jpg|thumb|left|210px|Imperial soldiers subjugating the Earth Church on Odin ({{d|799|uc}})]]<br />
Wahlen was dispatched to Earth by Reinhard shortly after the assassination plot, and he managed to successfully subjugate the planet, although the Terraist ideology did not die out completely. Wahlen himself nearly became the victim of an assassination plot by the Terraists and had to get a prosthetic arm after being stabbed with a poisonous knife. Meanwhile, a situation was developing in the Alliance which would soon become a headache for Reinhard. The Imperial consul assigned to Heinessen became increasingly hostile towards the retired Yang Wen-li, who was living a quiet life as a pensioner, due to rumors about his involvement with anti-Imperial resistance groups and hysteria from the incumbent Alliance administration under [[João Rebelo]] (Trunicht's successor, who resigned after Vermillion). The situation deteriorated when a resistance cell established by Yang immediately after Vermillion—led by High Admiral Willibald Joachim von Merkatz, the former Lippstadt commander who defected to the Alliance after the Imperial Civil War and served as Yang's ally—had hijacked decommissioned Alliance warships on 17 July {{d|799|uc}}. Lennenkampf was worried about Yang's intentions and the postwar Alliance government's ability to keep stability in the client state. ({{logh|054|058|060|063}})<br />
<br />
Oberstein spoke with the Imperial consul and told him that Yang should be arrest preemptively so that Reinhard can use the subsequent uprising from anti-Imperial groups that would be the result as an excuse to completely annex the Alliance. Meanwhile, Supreme Council Chairman Rebelo decided to arrest him first to not give the New Empire a chance to intervene. This ended up causing members of the elite Rosen Ritter regiment—against whom Reinhard fought back in his days as a mere commodore in the Imperial Fleet, on Van-Fleet—to rise up and kidnap Rebelo on Heinessen. They took him hostage and used it to secure their escape, although the government decided to try to execute the arrested Yang regardless. However, the Rosen Ritter freed Yang and escaped from the planet after storming the Imperial consulate and taking Lennenkampf himself hostage. With the consul as their hostage, the rebels were able to depart from Heinessen. Unbeknownst to the rest of the public, Lennenkampf actually committed suicide in his cell, but the just pretended that he was still alive to get away. Although Reinhard did not immediately react to the events that unfolded on Heinessen, he did formalize his plan to move the Imperial capital to Fezzan from Odin around the same time, indicating he intended to eventually annex the Alliance completely. ({{logh|060|061|062|065}})<br />
<br />
In the midst of this, the planet [[El Facil]] declared independence from the Alliance and became an independent state on August 13, and began trying to aggressively recruit Fleet Admiral Yang. The Rebelo administration denounced this move and thus El Facil became isolated. However, shortly after that a report on the situation from Admiral Steinmetz and the head of the Imperial consulate on Heinessen since Lennenkampf's death, Vice Admiral [[Sahm]], explained to Reinhard what had occurred, and the Kaiser made his decision. Given the rift between Yang and the Alliance administration, Reinhard again considered the possibility of Yang joining him. That was why in his official broadcast on November 10 explaining the events on Heinessen to the public, he left an open offer for Yang to join him, condemning the Alliance government for selling out both Lennenkampf and Yang. The Kaiser also announced that the Treaty of Ba'alat had been violated, and this could only be rectified with force. The next day he announced to his admirals the personnel decisions for the second Ragnarök operation. ({{logh|065|066|067}})<br />
<br />
===Ragnarök again===<br />
[[File:Brunhild.jpg|thumb|210px|''Brünhild'' at Marr-Adetta ({{d|800|uc}})]]<br />
While Yang ended up deciding to go to El Facil and planned to retake Iserlohn Fortress, Reinhard commanded the main Imperial fleet on its march into Alliance space for a second time, in December {{d|799|uc}}. In January the fleet engaged the remnants of the Free Planets Star Fleet under Alexandre Bucock's command, who utilized the dangerous terrain of the [[Marr-Adetta Starzone]] to his advantage in order to make up for the vast numerical difference. After brief encounters in a corridor running through an asteroid belt, Bucock's fleet attacked the Imperial formation from the rear. They were able to break through the Müller Fleet towards Reinhard's flagship only to be surrounded by the Imperial forces. Reinhard, on the suggestion of Hildegard von Mariendorf, offered Bucock a chance to surrender, but the old man refused, instead choosing annihilation. Afterwards, the young kaiser was enraged when heard of Lutz's loss of Iserlohn Fortress to Yang Wen-li, but decided to ignore it for now and continue on to Heinessen. ({{logh|068|069|070|071}})<br />
<br />
On 9 February {{d|800|Uc}}, Reinhard became the first emperor to set foot on Heinessen, as the Free Planets Alliance unconditionally surrendered to the New Empire. On February 20, the 273-year history of the Alliance is ended, with the state being annexed by the New Galactic Empire. Among his first acts was to have Alliance Joint Operations HQ chief Admiral [[Rockwell]] executed, who had killed Supreme Council Chairman Rebelo in the hope of buying security from Reinhard. Quite the opposite, he acquired the Kaiser's hatred for committing such a shameless act. Reinhard immediately contemplated a campaign against the [[El Facil Revolutionary Government]], or more specifically, Yang Wen-li at Iserlohn. However, an incident that demanded the Kaiser's attention prevented any immediate military action against the republicans. The scheming [[Heydrich Lang]], head of the [[Internal Security Department]] and one of the few Goldenbaum era high officials to keep a post under Reinhard's new regime, accused the Chief of the High Command Office, Oskar von Reuenthal, of being guilty of treason. The circumstances surrounding Reuenthal's relationship to a woman of the deposed Lichtenlade clan, [[Elfriede von Kohlrausch]], became the main 'evidence' of treason. Remembering the heterochromatic admiral's pledge of fealty back in {{d|795|uc}}, Reinhard did not agree with Lang's accusations against one of his most important vassals, one of the Twin Pillars of the Goldenlöwe Dynasty, and reinstated Reuenthal. Instead of remaining as Chief of High Command, however, he was instead granted another post by the Kaiser—that of Governor-General of the [[Neue Land|former Alliance territories]]. Although this was Kaiser Reinhard recognizing Reuenthal's loyalty and service, it ultimately would lead to tragedy in the future. ({{logh|073|074|075|076}})<br />
<br />
===The Battle of the Corridor===<br />
[[File:Corridor beam barrage.jpg|left|thumb|210px|The Imperial fleet entering the Corridor ({{d|800|uc}})]]<br />
Having secured the Alliance territories and leaving them to Reuenthal's administration, the Kaiser ordered his admirals [[Fritz Joseph Bittenfeld]] and [[Adalbert von Fahrenheit]] to secure the space around the Iserlohn Corridor. Their fleets departed on 23 March {{d|800|uc}}. A terrorist bombing occurred on Fezzan in April that resluted in the death of industry minister Silberberch, while Oberstein and Cornelius Lutz escaped with minor injuries. Reinhard continued with the Iserlohn operation, however. Before the Kaiser could arrive at the front, Bittenfeld and Fahrenheit disobeyed his orders and engaged the Yang Fleet ("El Facil Revolutionary Reserve Force"), being led by [[Dusty Attemborough]]'s squadron into the corridor. Ultimately, the Imperial force was defeated by Yang's tactics and Fahrenheit became the first high admiral of the new dynasty to be killed in battle. Outraged at the result and that they did not wait for his arrival, Reinhard still did not punish Bittenfeld and had Fahrenheit be posthumously promoted to fleet admiral. ({{logh|076|077|079}})<br />
<br />
Attemborough's squadron had lined the entrance to the Iserlohn Corridor with mines, though the Empire used directional Seffle particles to break through it and attack the Yang Fleet. After some fighting, the El Facil Revolutionary Reserve Force used the narrow confines of the corridor to its advantage and nearly reached the Imperial Supreme Flagship, resulting in the death of High Admiral Karl Robert Steinmetz. They were unable to reach Reinhard, though, and the battle fell into a stalemate. Bittenfeld's [[Black Lancers]] unknowingly killed [[Edwin Fischer]], Yang's deputy fleet commander and specialist in fleet maneuvers, severely crippling the Yang Fleet's ability to continue a coordinated fight. However, before the Imperial Fleet could deliver the ''coup de grâce'' to the remaining Alliance forces—suffering from less personnel and supplies—Kaiser Reinhard fell ill and requested a ceasefire with Yang. Admiral Yang and his colleagues accepted the Imperial offer, as their intention had been to last long enough to "win" a peace treaty with the New Empire. Reinhard later revealed that his memories of Kircheis were what led him to declare a ceasefire, claiming that Kircheis told him to become a friend of his constant rival. ({{logh|080|081|082}})<br />
<br />
However, Yang never made it to the peace talks: his cruiser, ''[[Leda II]]'', was intercepted by Imperial destroyers crewed by Terraist sympathizers, who used their disguises to get aboard and kill Yang, among many others. He died of blood loss on 1 June {{d|800|uc}}. The Kaiser was devastated by Yang's death, as he believed only he had the right to kill the man who had outwitted him on multiple occasions. In the end, the young monarch sent High Admiral Müller as his representative to the Iserlohn republicans to express condolences and discuss the future relations between the Empire and the republican faction, as the El Facil Revolutionary Government chose to disband itself, thus forcing Yang's successors to establish the [[Iserlohn Republic]]. Reinhard himself continued to manage Imperial political affairs from his sickbed, regretting that he had few political experts equivalent to his admirals' capability in military affairs. Because of this the Kaiser lamented the deaths of Bruno von Silberberch, a potential candidate for the post of prime minister, and Kircheis, to whom he could have left the management of the military while focusing on civil administration. ({{logh|082|083|084}})<br />
<br />
===Political intrigues===<br />
[[File:Capital transfer order.jpg|thumb|210px|Kaiser Reinhard announcing the moving of the capital ({{d|800|uc}})]]<br />
Although Reinhard did not recognize the Republic, he made no move to attack it, as with Yang's death it became mostly irrelevant to him. The Iserlohn faction lost a large number of personnel, who decided to leave upon the loss of Admiral Yang. But the political chaos in the galaxy was not over. As the Kaiser gave the official order to transfer the Imperial Capital from Odin to Fezzan, his admirals became entangled with the meddling of Heydrich Lang in political affairs, who was secretly in contact with Fezzani leader Rubinsky. Reinhard also reluctantly granted the disgraced Alliance politician Job Trunicht a post as a senior councilor at the Neue Land Governor-General's Office, initially expecting him to refuse to return to the former country he sold out, but was amazed by the man's shamelessness when Trunicht accepted the position. During that time he also had an audience with not only Fleet Admiral Mittermeyer (who served as Reinhard's Space Fleet Commander-in-Chief), but also his wife [[Evangelin Mittermeyer|Evangelin]]. With Mittermeyer he also reminisced of the time he first met Reuenthal. ({{logh|084|085|086|087}})<br />
<br />
While he was visiting a memorial in August {{d|800|uc}} that commemorated the dead soldiers of the Imperial Fleet, he was the victim of an assassination attempt by someone in the crowd. The attempt was easily prevented by the [[Imperial Guard]] but the man publicly accused Reinhard of complicity in the Westerland Massacre three years ago, back during the Lippstadt Rebellion. The Kaiser was depressed by that event and could not forgive himself for the few million deaths on Westerland, and so he ordered the man who made the attempt to not be executed—while the penalty for attempted regicide under the Goldenbaum Dynasty had been death for the criminal and his entire family. But shortly after this incident, the Kaiser ended up being consoled by Hildegard, who spent the night with him. The next day the flustered Reinhard went to the Mariendorf estate to ask for Hildegard's hand in marriage, wanting to take responsibility for what happened and not be like the promiscuous high nobles had been. ({{logh|089}})<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, the remaining Terraists sought to overthrow Reinhard and did not want him to produce an heir with a future wife. Their main plan became to provoke Oskar von Reuenthal into rebellion, and use that to bring down his new dynasty. On Fezzan, Adrian Rubinsky began a similar plot, using Heydrich Lang as a tool to carry this out. By September, rumors began to circulate that Reuenthal would invite the Kaiser on a trip to the Neue Land and assassinate him there, and in order to test Reinhard's belief in these rumors Reuenthal made an invitation for him to visit Heinessen. The Kaiser accepted and while he made a stop over on [[Uruvasi]], a planet near the Alliance exit of the Fezzan Corridor, he was the subject of another assassination attempt—this time by mutinying and confused Imperial troops. High Admiral Cornelius Lutz was killed defending him and buying time for Reinhard to escape back to his flagship, at which point the ''Brünhild'' left the planet and disappeared for a short while as it made its way back to Fezzan. Upon hearing of this, Fleet Admiral Reuenthal ordered his subordinates to locate and protect the emperor while also dispatching Admiral [[Alfred Grillpalzer]] to restore order on Uruvasi and investigate the mutiny. However, the truth behind the incident on Uruvasi would not be known for some time. ({{logh|090|091|092}})<br />
<br />
===Reuenthal Rebellion===<br />
[[File:Mittermeyer aiming Lang.JPG|thumb|210px|left|Mittermeyer nearly killing Lang over the Reuenthal affair ({{d|800|uc}})]]<br />
With the events on Uruvasi and the death of Lutz, Reuenthal realized that he was being turned into a traitor but could not bring himself to go beg for forgiveness from Reinhard, and by extent, Heydrich Lang behind him. Instead, the prideful admiral, who had ambitions of obtaining power for himself in the past, decided to actually start a revolt. Having secured the loyalty of his staff, including admirals Grillpalzer and [[Bruno von Knappstein]], he set about gaining access to the Iserlohn Corridor from the republicans in exchange for the entire former Alliance territory, but they ultimately declined the offer. The Kaiser was infuriated by Reuenthal's actions and perception that he was being controlled by Lang, who ultimately was investigated and found guilty by Admiral Kesler of having poisoned [[Nicholas Boltik]], the former Fezzan interim governor-general, in prison. Reinhard ordered Reuenthal's best friend, Wolfgang Mittermeyer, to lead the space fleet to pacify his rebellion, as the Kaiser attacking a vassal himself would agitate his other subordinates. Mittermeyer understood that and accepted the mission with a heavy heart, still thinking he might get Reuenthal to stand down. On 14 November {{d|800|uc}}, the Space Fleet Commander-in-Chief led a fleet of some 42,000 ships, along with admirals Wahlen and Bittenfeld, against Reuenthal's Neue Land Security Force. ({{logh|093|094}})<br />
<br />
Further attempts to mend the situation by different parties amount to nothing, and Reuenthal realized that he needed to win a victory to secure the morale of his men, whom he told they are fighting against villainous vassals misleading Reinhard. Ultimately, Reuenthal's forces were defeated during the [[Second Battle of Rantemario]], in which he was fatally wounded, and thus ending his short-lived revolt. Mittermeyer arrived on Heinessen shortly after Reuenthal and visited his friend for the final time, who by then had died in his office. Around the same time, it became known to Kaiser Reinhard and his subordinates of the roles of Grillpalzer and Lang, after an investigation by Admiral Ernest Mecklinger into the events that had transpired on Uruvasi, as well as the Terraist involvement. Lang, hearing of Reuenthal's death, confessed to everything and was subsequently executed, and Grillpalzer was quite likely given the same punishment for his role in covering up the truth behind Uruvasi. Reinhard, who realizes the Mittermeyer is the only one left he could truly depend on, allowed him to adopt Reuenthal's baby son, [[Felix Mittermeyer]]. Around December {{d|800|uc}}, Hildegard revealed that she was pregnant with the Kaiser's child, and accepted his marraige proposal. ({{logh|095|096|097|098|099}})<br />
<br />
===Final months===<br />
[[File:Reinhard and Hildegard wedding.JPG|thumb|210px|Kaiser Reinhard and Kaiserin Hildegard at their wedding ({{d|801|uc}})]]<br />
Reinhard began to get sick more frequently, although the cause of it was initially unknown. Meanwhile, he finally got married to Hildegard von Mariendorf shortly after the new year party in January {{d|801|uc}}, the wedding celebration being on the 29th of that month. Hildegard had been his longtime political advisor since the events of the Imperial Civil War and the potential candidate for his consort in the view of Reinhard's admirals. Meanwhile, riots broke out on Heinessen as a result of a food shortage, something Oberstein interrupted the wedding for to report to the Kaiser. Around that time Count von Mariendorf retired from the office of Minister of State in order to not have too much power as the father of the empress, much to the approval of Oberstein, and the Kaiser offered Fleet Admiral Mittermeyer that position. Also to Reinhard's gladness, his sister Grand Duchess Annerose stepped out of seclusion to attend the wedding, which she supported, and began to visit the pregnant Hildegard on Fezzan. ({{logh|100}})<br />
<br />
Although the riots on the former Alliance capital were pacified, another problem arose in February as [[Julian Mintz]], Yang Wen-li's successor as the leader of the Iserlohn Republic, decided to go to battle against the Kaiser. The Imperial admiralty had pondered the question of their own expedition and decided against it because of the strain to the national treasury, but had no choice now that the republicans were making a move. They scored an initial victory over the [[Wahlen Fleet]] in the Iserlohn Corridor and prompted Reinhard to personally lead an expedition. Reinhard fell ill again, however, thus leaving the Heinessen and Iserlohn questions to be resolved by his admirals. The news of the republican victory at the [[Eleventh Battle of Iserlohn]] encouraged republican agitation on Heinessen. Oberstein infuriated Bittenfeld, Müller, and Wahlen with his plan of using arrested former Alliance officials as hostages to force the Iserlohn republicans to sign a peace agreement. Their argument escalated and Bittenfeld tried to attack Oberstein, resulting in him being placed under house arrest and infighting breaking out between military police under Oberstein's Ministry of Military Affairs and the sailors of Bittenfeld's Black Lancers. Meanwhile, the Kaiser himself heard of this increasingly dangerous situation and traveled to Heinessen personally, ordering the release of the political prisoners after a riot at [[Rugpool Prison]] and bombings throughout [[Heinessenopolis]], asking to negotiate with the Iserlohn republicans. In addition, Rubinsky was apprehended by Oberstein's agents and taken into custody. ({{logh|101|102|103|104|105}})<br />
<br />
In May {{d|801|uc}}, despite the Terraists' attempt to attack Hildegard's residence, she gave birth to [[Alexander Siegfried von Lohengramm]], the prince of the new dynasty, at [[Fezzan Medical University Hospital]]. ({{logh|106}})<br />
<br />
===The Battle of Shiva===<br />
[[File:Brunhildboarded.jpg|left|thumb|210px|''Brünhild'' at Shiva ({{d|801|uc}})]]<br />
Meanwhile in the same month, a minor skirmish between Iserlohn Republic and New Galactic Empire forces would escalate into the final confrontation between the two factions, the [[Battle of Shiva]]. Fighting broke out between a squadron from each side over the escort of a civilian refugee ship, and both sides continued bringing in reinforcements in order to not back down. Julian Mintz wanted to win respect and a right to negotiate on an equal footing with Kaiser Reinhard, while the young ruler wanted both to subjugate them and to test Mintz's abilities. During the battle, the republicans noted the sluggishness of the Imperial Fleet's movements, which was due to Reinhard's impeded command ability from his deteriorating health. A communications blackout eventually occurred between the Imperial forces and HQ as they tried to conceal Reinhard's sudden collapse and unconsciousness. Eventually, the Iserlohn fleet took advantage of it and charged straight for the Supreme Flagship ''Brünhild''. A number of republican ships made it through the Imperial defenders and a boarding vessel made contact with ''Brünhild'''s hull. Getting aboard, the elite Rosen Ritter unit fought the defenders in an attempt to buy time for Mintz to locate the Kaiser, which he eventually was able to do. ({{logh|107|108}})<br />
<br />
Outside, Bittenfeld's Black Lancers and the [[Eisenach Fleet]] managed to fight the rest of the Iserlohn fleet back and dealt them heavy losses, causing the death of their commander, Admiral Merkatz. But on ''Brünhild'', Mintz made it to the Kaiser's chamber and was granted an audience for negotiations, and thus an order for a ceasefire was immediately broadcast to all ships from the Imperial HQ, saving the remnants of the Republic's battered fleet. ({{Logh|108}})<br />
<br />
==Death==<br />
[[File:Finale.PNG|210px|thumb|right|Kaiser Reinhard in his sickbed ({{d|801|uc}})]]<br />
Upon the Imperial expeditionary force's and the Republic fleet's return from Iserlohn to Heinessen on 10 June {{d|801|uc}}, news of Kaiser Reinhard's terminal illness was announced. There both the Kaiser and Mintz discussed the future of the galaxy, including the idea of giving Heinessen autonomy in return for Iserlohn Fortress, or the possibility of implementing a constitution in the Empire. However, Reinhard commented that Julian Mintz would have to discuss the details with Hildegard von Lohengramm, who would be his successor's Imperial regent. Reinhard was eventually diagnosed with a heretofore undiscovered, degenerative disease. Labelled the ' Emperor's Sickness', this malady took Reinhard's life at the age of 25. Even then he was briefly subjected to an attack by the Terraists after Oberstein used a false rumor of Reinhard's recovery to draw out the remaining followers of the Church, which ultimately was stopped but resulted in Oberstein's death. Reinhard von Lohengramm, first Emperor of the New Galactic Empire, died on 26 July {{d|801|uc}}, surrounded by his top admirals, officials, and relatives. Upon his death, Hildegard von Lohengramm assumed rule over the New Galactic Empire as Regent for the infant Alexander Siegfried. ({{logh|109|110}})<br />
<br />
==Legacy==<br />
Reinhard's life was characterized by a strong sense of justice and personal responsibility. By his own efforts, he claimed dominion over the galaxy, uprooting the old order and overthrowing the three major powers that had previously shared the universe for over a century: the Goldenbaum Dynasty, the Free Planets Alliance, and the Dominion of Fezzan. His enduring wish was to see his New Galactic Empire ruled not by blood but by merit, even if it meant the end of his dynasty. Reinhard may have been the perfect autocrat, but the abilities and personalities of his successors were unknown, paralleling the situation after [[Rudolf von Goldenbaum]] had founded the Empire. Given the groundwork he laid, however, and the moderate influences of his wife, supported by Fleet Admiral Mittermeyer, and the concessions to autonomy for the [[Ba'alat Starzone]] and more representative rule in the whole Empire, it was probable the transition to the early years of the post-Reinhard Empire was reasonably smooth.<br />
<br />
==Personal life==<br />
Reinhard von Lohengramm's desire to take over the universe had originated when his sister Annerose was taken from him and became a concubine at the Imperial court for Kaiser Friedrich IV. The bond between Reinhard, Kircheis, and Annerose was extremely close and served as the stimulus for his meteoric rise to the top, and when it was permanently broken following the Lippstadt War, Reinhard became a changed man. The only outsiders that came the closest to filling the void were Hildegard, his eventual wife, and perhaps Mittermeyer and Reuenthal given their pledge of loyalty and friendship with him, but to a much lesser extent.<br />
<br />
His political views were a mixture of both monarchism and republicanism, as he neither wanted to leave the fate of humanity to the whim of the masses, nor to the prodigal aristocrats who cared about their lineage. Although he opposed elections, neither did he particularly want a hereditary monarchy, and believed that his successor should be the most capable person for the position. In a choice between dictatorship and democracy, however, Reinhard preferred the former. He did have some other firm principles, including his belief in meritocracy and that one should be willing to lead his troops from the front line personally. But ultimately Reinhard's chief concern was the attainment of his ambitions to become the most powerful man in the universe and return to him what had been lost, namely, his sister Annerose.<br />
<br />
Reinhard had respect for Yang Wen-li personally and was willing to debate him on his principles on what could be described as an equal level, a stark difference from his attitude of utter contempt towards the elected Alliance politicians or the ruling nobles in the Goldenbaum empire. He also respected others that were particularly competent or principled, pardoning low level Alliance bureaucrats that refused to turn over sensitive documents and even commenting that had people like them been in charge the Alliance would never have fallen.<br />
<br />
Reinhard also disdained cowardice and treachery, executing the soldiers who murdered president Rebalo to curry favor with him.<br />
<br />
==Styles and titles==<br />
* '''March 776 - April 793''': ''Herr'' Reinhard von Müsel<br />
* '''April 793 - September 795''': ''His Wellborn'' Reinhard Reichsritter von Müsel (Imperial Knight)<br />
* '''September 795 - October 796''': ''His Illustrious Highness'' Reinhard Graf von Lohengramm (Count von Lohengramm)<br />
* '''October 796 - October 797''': ''His Serene Highness'' Reinhard Fürst von Lohengramm (Prince von Lohengramm)<br />
* '''October 797 - September 798''': ''His Serene Highness'' Reinhard Herzog von Lohengramm (Duke von Lohengramm)<br />
* '''September 798 - July 801''': ''His Imperial Majesty'' Galactic Kaiser Reinhard<br />
<br />
==Appendices==<br />
===Appearances===<br />
<div class="appear"><br />
*{{mciss}} (first appearance)<br />
*{{logh}}<br />
**{{e|001}}<br />
**{{e|002}}<br />
**{{e|004}}<br />
**{{e|005}}<br />
**{{e|008}}<br />
**{{e|009}}<br />
**{{e|011}}<br />
**{{e|013}}<br />
**{{e|014}}<br />
**{{e|015}}<br />
**{{e|016}}<br />
**{{e|017}}<br />
**{{e|018}}<br />
**{{e|019}}<br />
**{{e|020}}<br />
**{{e|022}}<br />
**{{e|023}}<br />
**{{e|025}}<br />
**{{e|026}}<br />
**{{e|027}}<br />
**{{e|028}}<br />
**{{e|029}}<br />
**{{e|030}}<br />
**{{e|031}} (???)<br />
**{{e|033}} (flashback)<br />
**{{e|034}}<br />
**{{e|035}}<br />
**{{e|036}}<br />
**{{e|037}}<br />
**{{e|038}}<br />
**{{e|041}}<br />
**{{e|042}}<br />
**{{e|044}}<br />
**{{e|045}}<br />
**{{e|046}}<br />
**{{e|047}}<br />
**{{e|048}}<br />
**{{e|049}}<br />
**{{e|050}}<br />
**{{e|051}}<br />
**{{e|052}}<br />
**{{e|053}}<br />
**{{e|054}}<br />
**{{e|108}}<br />
**{{e|109}}<br />
**{{e|110}} (death)<br />
*{{gw}}<br />
*{{onw}}<br />
*{{swv}}<br />
**{{e|Chapter I|SWV}}<br />
**{{e|Chapter II|SWV}}<br />
**{{e|Chapter III|SWV}}<br />
**{{e|Chapter IV|SWV}}<br />
*{{ret}}<br />
**{{e|Chapter I|RET}}<br />
**{{e|Chapter II|RET}}<br />
**{{e|Chapter III|RET}}<br />
**{{e|Chapter IV|RET}}<br />
</div><br />
<br />
===Memorable quotes===<br />
*In any age, in any society, when people are small, they look up at the stars and stretch out their hands as if to grasp them. Then at last,they learn that their own arms aren't long enough to reach the stars. They call that becoming an adult. But I don't think so. Without fail, those stars will be in this hand!<br />
<br />
*There is great satisfaction in fighting for the sake of gaining power, but it is joyless to fight for the sake of maintaining it. <br />
<br />
*These idiots. What do they think of others? They think they are born with the right to rule. They think they have the right to hurt others. These people are too evil. And this empire is too corrupted.<br />
<br />
*I want victory — but not because the enemy is weak.<br />
<br />
*It's power. What I need is power. If I should want to get my sister back, then I must first, first of all, possess power that would make those idiots bow to my command. If my enemies are to be the aristocracy, then I need a power greater than theirs. If the emperor is to be my enemy, I must be mightier than even him.<br />
<br />
*For those who have come to power, wealth and glory not by their own strength and effort, but simply through inheritance, what right do they have to complain? The very existence of such blood-lineage dynasties is disgusting. Power is the property of one generation. It shouldn't be transferred, it should be seized.<br />
<br />
*The man who succeeds me must have talent equal to, or greater than my own.<br />
<br />
*Genes determine everything? What nonsense. Hereditary physical qualities have no effect on people, that's for individuals. Heredity concerns family background, not personal abilities. Those who blindly believe in such theories generally having nothing in their own lives to be proud of... they are the people I despise the most.<br />
<br />
*Indeed, small acts of opposition cannot solve every problem. Our society needs a complete revolution. Such problems must be corrected, and we must not wait for others to correct them. We must carry out the revolution with our own hands.<br />
<br />
*If the enemy has anyone with even a tenth of my intelligence, even Iserlohn will fall.<br />
<br />
*Our future battles will not only be on the battlefield. Political struggles, court politics. It's not just a war of words, but also a war of blood.<br />
<br />
*It's to be expected that incompetent rulers be overthrown.<br />
<br />
*Fighting 100 battles does not mean winning 100 victories.<br />
<br />
*Already, I have nothing to lose. But even so, I will fight. To keep my promise to you, and... to gain something to quench the thirst in my heart.<br />
<br />
*What criminals need is neither diplomacy nor persuasion. They have neither the ability nor the intention to understand. Only force will enlighten their foolishness.<br />
<br />
*I aim to be the supreme ruler... and to reach that goal, I have a policy of my own. It is to fight my own battles. That's the difference between myself and the noblemen I've fought and defeated. That's also the reason why the soldiers follow me.<br />
<br />
*I cannot lose to anyone. People admire and stay loyal to me because I'm undefeated. I'm not supported because of my bloodline.<br />
<br />
*Something that is supposed to die and does not... will eventually rot away, whether it's a man or a nation.<br />
<br />
*I don't believe that absolute truth is necessary. I only need the power to freely accomplish my dreams. One could say that it's the power not to have to take orders from those one despises.<br />
<br />
*I formally acknowledge that terrorists have abducted his majesty, the Kaiser Erwin Josef. The whereabouts of his majesty, as well as of the lawless criminals who abducted him have both become clear. This band of criminals are former high nobles led by a former Imperial High Commissioner to Fezzan, Jochen von Remscheid, a Count under the old system. These villains, hiding among the rebels who call themselves the Free Planets Alliance, have illegally announced the establishment of a government-in-exile. I hereby declare: having abducted the Kaiser by illegal and cowardly means, the remnants of the high nobility who plan to reverse the flow of history and steal by force the rights that the people have established will receive a suitable repayment for this atrocity. The ambitious men of the Free Planets Alliance who had illicit dealings with them, and who also plot a rebellious war against the peace and harmony of space, will meet the same fate. Their mistaken choice must be met with an appropriate punishment. What criminals need is neither diplomacy nor persuasion, they have neither the ability nor the intention to understand either. Only force will enlighten their foolishness. Hereafter, no matter how great the volume of blood that comes to be shed, bear in mind these foolish criminals and conspirators and know that they are responsible.<br />
<br />
*But even if my sister hates me, I can't turn back. If I retreat now from the road to leadership, who will restore the universe to unity and harmony? Shall I entrust the future of humanity to the high noble prodigals who care only about their own lineage? Or to demagogues who just move armies guided by sophistry and profit?<br />
<br />
*What do they think people are? Assuming it's a matter of course to rule over them. Stealing from people and insulting people... yet they say it's their privilege to be forgiven?! Those people are corrupt! This empire is corrupt!<br />
<br />
*I don't think I can forgive Rudolf and what he did, becoming Kaiser. He set up the people who flattered him as nobles, and the result of that is this disgrace. Haven't you had thoughts like this, Kircheis? The Goldenbaum dynasty, as with the birth of the human race, need not have happened. It's only been 500 years since Rudolf built it. Before that, neither the Empire nor the Goldenbaum family existed, and he was no more than one citizen. Originally, Rudolf was no more than an upstart man of ambition, and who, riding the current of the times, was made into a sacred, inviolable Kaiser.<br />
<br />
*Kircheis, do you think what was possible for Rudolf is impossible for me?<br />
<br />
===Background information===<br />
*The name [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinhard Reinhard] is of old Nordic origin and means ''pure and sturdy''. In German, it roughly translates into ''determined''. Both attributes denoting to Reinhard's character as well as his ulterior motives and goals. Lohengramm is quite likely a mistranslation/misspelling of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lohengrin Lohengrin], the opera of Richard Wagner about the grail-knight of the same name.<br />
<br />
* Reinhard strongly resembles Napoleon Bonaparte. Both men started off as minor nobility. Both gained power and prominence through military accomplishment. Both became emperors and established an enlightened monarchy and Reinhard's combination of High Admirals and Fleet Admirals mirror's Napoleon's Marshals. One of Napoleon's most notable marshals, Jean Lannes, strongly resembles Siegfried Kircheis in both relationship and deeds.<br />
<br />
*Many of Reinhard's achievements and characteristics mirror those of Alexander the Great. Both men were military geniuses who ascended to power at a very young age. Both men conquered most of their respective known universes. Both men were responsible for sweeping social and political reforms that would impact all of human history to follow, and both men died at a young age shortly after their wars had ended. Reinhard's very close friendship with also Siegfried Kircheis parallels Alexander's relationship with his friend and general, Hephaestion.<br />
<br />
*Reinhard's life is also similar to that of Julius Caesar. Like Caesar, Reinhard's power stemmed not just from the military, but from the common people. Like Caesar, Reinhard was very popular with the lowest-classes of citizenry and feared by the ruling nobility. Like Caesar, Reinhard seized power through ostensibly legitimate means and stripped the ruling elite of their power, money, and influence. The scene of fleets loyal to Reinhard descending over Odin — of warships appearing over sacrosanct skies — also mirrors that of the 13th Legion crossing the Rubicon into Rome.<br />
<br />
*Reinhard also bears many similarities to Rome's first Emperor, Augustus. Like Augustus, Reinhard enacted many reforms that completely changed the social, political, legal and educational landscape of the Empire, and like Augustus, Reinhard focused on crafting a system of Empire that could survive in spite of, or despite, whomever might become Emperor after his death.<br />
<br />
*Reinhard is also somewhat similar to the French royalist leader [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Cathelineau Jacques Cathelineau], in terms of both physical appearance and traits. <br />
<br />
*Though its exact symptoms were never explicitly stated, the disease that ended Reinhard's life bore the name "Emperor's Sickness," a term that has been used commonly to refer to Hemophilia and Porphyria, as illnesses infamous for afflicting regal heads-of-state.<br />
<br />
*Reinhard's voice actor, [[Horikawa Ryō]], is also notable for his other big anime role: Vegeta, in the mega-hit anime Dragonball Z, its sequel Dragonball GT, and the many affiliated OVAs and movies.<br />
<br />
{{navbox/officials/Goldenlöwe}}<br />
{{navbox/officials/Goldenbaum|collapsed}}<br />
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<br />
[[Category:Soldiers|Lohengramm reinhard von]]<br />
[[Category:Imperial citizens|Lohengramm reinhard von]]<br />
[[Category:Nobility|Lohengramm reinhard von]]<br />
[[Category:Characters from Overture to a New War|Lohengramm reinhard von]]</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Reinhard_von_LohengrammReinhard von Lohengramm2021-10-31T09:00:04Z<p>WalkerEmp: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{infobox/character<br />
| image-top = Reinhard_8.jpg<br />
| caption-top = Kaiser '''Reinhard''' ({{d|801|uc}})<br />
| gender = Male<br />
| affiliation = [[Galactic Empire]]<br />
| rank = [[Military ranks of the Galactic Empire#Fleet_admiral|Supreme Fleet Admiral]]<br />
| flagship = ''[[Brünhild]]''<br />''[[Tannhäuser]]'' (former)<br />
| occupation = Kaiser of the Galactic Empire<br />
| status = Deceased (natural causes)<br />
| born = {{d|776|uc}}<br />
| died = {{d|801|uc}}<br />
| actor = [[Horikawa Ryō]] <small>([[My Conquest Is the Sea of Stars (film)|MCISS]], [[Legend of Galactic Heroes (OVA)|OVA]], [[Overture to a New War (film)|ONW]])</small><br />[[Narahashi Miki]] <small>([[Legend of Galactic Heroes (OVA)|OVA]], childhood)</small><br />[[Midorikawa Hikaru]] <small>([[Golden Wings (film)|GW]])</small><br />
}}<br />
'''Reinhard von Lohengramm''' (Japanese: '''ラインハルト・フォン・ローエングラム'''), born '''Reinhard von Müsel''', was an [[Galactic Empire|Imperial]] military and political leader who rose to prominence during the [[Alliance–Imperial War]], overthrowing the ruling [[Goldenbaum Dynasty]] and establishing himself as [[emperor]] of a [[New Galactic Empire]], establishing the [[Goldenlöwe Dynasty]]. A genius in war and politics, he rose to the highest ranks of the [[Imperial Armed Forces|Imperial Fleet]] at a young age and eventually usurped the power of the traditional [[nobility]] during the [[Imperial Civil War]]. Upon becoming the ''de facto'' dictator of the Empire, he instituted numerous political, legal, economic, and social reforms to abolish the old feudalistic system that had existed under the Goldenbaums and created a new empire, which was described by [[Yang Wen-li]] as having been "Not by the people, but for the people." Shortly after his [[Operation Ragnarök|conquest]] of the [[Free Planets Alliance]], he deposed the [[Catherine von Goldenbaum|last Goldenbaum sovereign]], who was essentially powerless, from the throne and proclaimed himself emperor.<br />
<br />
He died on 26 July {{d|801|uc}}, at the age of 25, after having become arguably the most influential leader in human history and having unified humanity under the rule of one government.<br />
<br />
==Early life==<br />
[[File:Reinhardchildhood.PNG|190px|thumb|left|Young Reinhard ({{d|786|uc}})]]<br />
Born on 14 March {{d|776|uc}} to the poor aristocratic von Müsel family, Reinhard spent most of his childhood living with his father, [[Sebastian von Müsel|Sebastian]], and sister, [[Annerose von Grünewald|Annerose]], in a middle-class, suburban neighbourhood. Because Reinhard's mother, [[Caribelle von Müsel|Caribelle]], died in a car accident when he was very young, Reinhard grew very attached to his older sister. The von Müsel family held the noble rank of ''Reichsritter'' (Imperial Knight) therefore barely qualifying as a noble. As a child, Reinhard met the man whom he would later declare another part of himself: [[Siegfried Kircheis]]. The young Reinhard felt the name "Siegfried" was too common, and insisted on calling Siegfried by his surname, Kircheis. He would retain his habit of using Kircheis' surname, despite their close relationship, for the rest of his life. In many ways, Reinhard's life was defined by the strong relationships he formed with his sister and friend in those happy days. ({{logh|004}}, {{gw}})<br />
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Unfortunately, those days were not to last and Reinhard was rudely exposed to the true nature of the [[Galactic Empire]]'s class system in {{d|786|uc}}. One day, a [[Nobility|high nobleman]] happened to see Reinhard's sister Annerose in the street, and took notice of her. Shortly thereafter, rumours of her exceptional beauty reached the Imperial Court. It was then decided that she would be brought to the [[Neue Sanssouci|Imperial Palace]] to serve as an imperial consort to the emperor—Kaiser [[Friedrich IV]]. Reinhard's father accepted a large sum of money as a dowry in exchange for effectively selling his daughter into a life of sexual servitude. He chose to accept the money, because he reasoned that even if he refused the payment Annerose would be taken away regardless. Already weak to alcohol since the death of his wife, Sebastian retreated further into the bottle after Annerose was taken. Reflecting on Sebastian's life after his death, Kircheis thought perhaps he was never able to forgive himself for failing to protect his daughter. ({{dmsn|03}})<br />
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When Reinhard realised what his father had done, he was enraged. He angrily swore to destroy the corrupt, capricious Goldenbaum Dynasty and rescue his sister from the clutches of Kaiser Friedrich IV. Together, he and Kircheis promised to defeat every enemy and win every battle in pursuit of that goal. [[Julian Mintz]] would later note that Annerose served as the catalyst that resulted in the great change of history that Reinhard accomplished. Shortly after his sister was taken, Reinhard joined military school to become an officer, as he considered it the fastest way to advance in their class-based society, getting Kircheis to go along with him. ({{logh|004|110}}, {{swv|01}})<br />
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==Early military career==<br />
===Kapche-Lanka===<br />
[[File:Reinhard_and_tank_fire.jpg|210px|thumb|Reinhard in Kapche-Lanka ({{d|791|uc}})]]<br />
Reinhard graduated from the [[Imperial Officer Academy]] on [[Odin]] at the top of his class, and though he was much resented by his upperclassmen, all of his peers and underclassmen respected and admired him. Immediately after graduating, Reinhard and Kircheis, as young junior officers, were assigned to an Imperial facility on the frozen world of [[Kapche-Lanka]], located within the [[Iserlohn Corridor]] on the front line of the [[Alliance–Imperial War]]. It was a minor world that had some natural resources, but was not of much significance, with combat there going on mainly due to the fact that neither the Empire nor the Alliance wanted the other side to take control of it. Reinhard viewed it as an example of the incompetence of the leadership on both sides. He earned the ire of the commanding officer, {{rank|imperial|Captain}} [[Herder]], after getting into a fight with some lower ranking servicemen that were abusing a civilian woman. However, Reinhard's situation would become more perilous when Princess [[Sussanna von Beenemünde]], a concubine of Kaiser Friedrich who despised his sister's status at court, secretly hired the captain to assassinate Reinhard. He and Kircheis are thus sent on what is ostensibly a recon mission into the frozen wastes of Kapche-Lanka, but with an ill-equipped [[Panzer IV|tank]]. ({{swv|01|02}})<br />
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They inevitably run low on fuel and decide to attack an [[Free Planets Alliance|Alliance]] tank patrol that they stumble across to obtain more supplies. After successfully ambushing them, the pair gained not only more fuel but information on an upcoming Alliance attack on the Imperial base. Meanwhile, Reinhard correctly assumes that Captain Herder will send a subordinate to check on whether or not they are still alive, and lays a trap for him. When {{rank|imperial|Lieutenant}} [[Fugenberch]] arrives and reveals what is really going on before intending to finish off Reinhard, Kircheis fires from the tank nearby and kills the lieutenant. Following his death, Reinhard and Kircheis returned to the base to find it is under attack by the Alliance already, at which point they use a code they obtained from the enemy tank they captured to shut down the Alliance's attacking tanks, allowing the Empire to counterattack. Subsequently, feigning ignorance of Captain Herder's plot against them, they take part in his assault on the Alliance base, and during that assault Herder attempts to murder Reinhard. However, they prepared for it and stopped him, though in the end Herder committed suicide. ({{swv|03|04}})<br />
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Unfortunately, both conspirators on Kapche-Lanka died, making any possible legal action against Princess von Beenemünde impossible. Following his victories, Reinhard was promoted to Sub-lieutenant and transferred to the space fleet. ({{swv|04}})<br />
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===''Hameln II''===<br />
[[File:Kircheis Reinhard Bertram.jpg|thumb|210px|left|Reinhard and Kircheis confronting Bertram ({{d|791|uc}})]]<br />
Following the events on Kapche-Lanka, in August of {{d|791|uc}}, Reinhard was assigned as Chief Navigator aboard the destroyer ''[[Hameln II]]''. Although the ship's captain is impressed with Reinhard's service record, the rest of the crew is less enthusiastic and sees him as a spoiled aristocratic brat who got promoted because of his sister's status with the Kaiser. However, while going outside the vessel on a space walk, an enlisted rating ended up getting disconnected from the ship and flying out into space, before Reinhard rescued him. This earned the young officer respect from the enlisted crew of the ''Hameln II''. Later during a routine patrol outside of Iserlohn, their squadron is attacked and Reinhard temporarily takes command of the vessel when the captain is severely injured and the first officer, Lieutenant [[Hartmann Bertram]], happens to not be on the bridge. Reinhard led the destroyer away from the rest of their squadron, which fled from the Alliance vessels that were waiting to ambush them in a nearby asteroid field. Instead he flew into the asteroid field, predicting the Alliance ships wouldn't follow them and instead hunt for the fleeing squadron. Bertram returned and later demanded he pass command authority back to him and return to the normal course, but Reinhard's prediction is confirmed when the rest of their squadron is destroyed. ({{mut|01|02}})<br />
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Bertram orders the detainment of Reinhard on the grounds of mutiny, which Kircheis (the Security Officer) carries out. As they hide in the asteroid field from the patrolling Alliance ships, Bertram decided to self-destruct the ship as he believed there is not way of escape. He ignored fellow crewman [[Schmidt]]'s proposal to use the energy dispensed by a solar eruption from a nearby star to propel their ship away from the Alliance squadron in the area. Kircheis became aware of both the proposal and Bertram's plan to self-destruct, and decided to free Reinhard with the help of some enlisted men. Together they took control of the bridge but were confronted by Bertram, who shot an enlisted crewman defending Reinhard. The situation would have escalated if not for the arrival of {{rank|imperial|lieutenant commander}} [[Adenauer]], their captain, who repeats his order giving Reinhard command authority. They proceeded with the plan to get away using the eruption from the nearby star, and despite some minor problems that resulted in Bertram's death after volunteering for a dangerous mission to atone for having shot a crewman, they are able to escape. ({{mut|03|04}})<br />
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After their return to Iserlohn, Reinhard was recommended by Adenauer for promotion to lieutenant. Given the choice between continuing on as the new executive officer and an assignment elsewhere, Reinhard opted for assignment elsewhere to broaden his experience. ({{Mut|04}})<br />
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===Military administration===<br />
[[File:Reinhard and opponent.jpg|thumb|210px|Reinhard during his duel on behalf of Viscountess Schaffhausen ({{d|792|uc}})]]<br />
While working a desk job at the investigative department of the [[Ministry of War|Ministry of Military Affairs]] on Odin, Reinhard discovered several instances of corruption among base commanders on the front line. The amounts of supplies ordered and those received by the front line units do not correlate, and Reinhard deduces that certain officers were siphoning off military supplies to sell on the black market. He and Kircheis gathered evidence and reported to their superiors, but were told that nothing could be done: a certain amount of corruption was accepted as a "necessary evil" and they were essentially ordered to drop the matter. This further solidified Reinhard's opinion that the [[Goldenbaum Dynasty]] was too corrupt to be allowed to continue. ({{duel|01}})<br />
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However, the posting at the [[Imperial Capital]] meant that he was able to meet with his sister Annerose. During one such occasion, he found out about the dispute between one of her sister's few allies at the Imperial court, Viscountess [[Dorothea von Schaffhausen]], and Count [[Herxheimer]], relative of one of the most influential high nobles of the Empire: Marquis [[Wilhelm von Littenheim]], over territorial mining rights. Herxheimer knew he had no chance of winning the case against her in a court of law and challenged her to a duel, using his reputation to ensure that no professional duelist would work for the Schaffhausen family. When Reinhard heard of this, he offered to take the place of her duelist, despite having no experience in that arena. News of the "blond brat" choosing to participate in this high-level duel spread quickly throughout the upper echelons of Imperial society and soon the event became a spectacle. Reinhard learned to use the antique flintlock pistols traditionally wielded by duelists, initially struggling before happening to run into a young lieutenant commander, [[Cornelius Lutz]], who trained him in its use. Unbeknownst to Reinhard, Princess von Beenemüde (having failed to get Reinhard killed on Kapche-Lanka) hired an assassin to take the place of Count Herxheimer's [[Goldschmidt|duelist]], in order to kill Reinhard during the duel. ({{duel|01|02}})<br />
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The duel was held on a property owned by Marquis Littenheim, who supported the Count, and was viewed by a large audience of nobles. Both the assassin and Reinhard missed each other in the first round because the latter duelist chose to leap to the side. In the second round, both of them wounded each other, in the assassin's right shoulder and Reinhard's left arm. The third round was a sword match, at the request of the assassin, who quickly proves himself to be the superior swordsman despite his injury, but before Reinhard could be defeated a group of [[Imperial Guard]]smen arrived at the arena on horseback, telling them that Kaiser Friedrich IV had ordered the duel to be suspended and had settled the dispute personally, splitting the proceeds of the mines equally between the two feuding families. The outcome pleased the Schaffhausen family while Herxheimer reluctantly accepted the Emperor's settlement. The assassin challenged Reinhard to another duel privately, and Reinhard, with assistance from Kircheis, is able to defeat him the second time, once again foiling Beenemüde's attempt to kill him. ({{duel|03|04}})<br />
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===''Hässliche Entlein''===<br />
[[File:Commander Reinhard.png|210px|thumb|left|Commander Reinhard at Iserlohn ({{d|792|uc}})]]<br />
Later in {{d|792|uc}}, Reinhard was transferred to [[Iserlohn Fortress]] on the front line, being given command of the [[Imperial destroyer (788 UC era)|destroyer]] ''[[Ermland II]]''. He spent part of his time there under investigation by a lieutenant commander named [[Gregor von Krumbach]], who was sent to Iserlohn to investigate the death of Captain Herder back on Kapche-Lanka. Secretly, however, he was sent there with the goal of killing Reinhard, one behalf of Princess von Beenemüde. Krumbach was unable to find an opportunity to do so when an Alliance expeditionary fleet [[Fifth Battle of Iserlohn|attacked]] the fortress, at which point he joined Reinhard and Kircheis aboard the ''Ermland II''. During the battle ''Ermland II'' destroyed an [[Alliance cruiser (788 UC era)|Alliance cruiser]], and for that he was later promoted to {{rank|imperial|commander|lc}}. After the battle Reinhard and Kircheis confronted Krumbach, killing him. ({{gw}})<br />
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In December of the same year, Commander von Müsel took command of the [[Imperial cruiser (788 UC era)|Imperial cruiser]] ''[[Hässliche Entlein]]'' ("Ugly Duckling"). It was here that he encountered [[August Samuel Wahlen]] who was his executive officer. As the captain of a cruiser, Reinhard drilled his crew frequently while they were not in battle, keeping the ship at combat readiness and the highest levels of efficiency. Around that time, he was chosen, along with the crew of his ship, for a special mission behind enemy lines by Imperial military intelligence. It was to intercept Count Herxheimer and prevent him from defecting to the Free Planets Alliance with the stolen directional [[Seffle particle|Seffle particles]] prototype. Due to the secrecy of the mission, they could expect no support from other Imperial units and to be operating in enemy territory. Reinhard accepted the operation, being joined by a representative of intelligence, Lieutenant Commander [[Bendling]]. ({{ret|01}})<br />
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[[File:Hassliche entlein bow.png|thumb|210px|Reinhard's second command, ''Hässliche Entlein'' ({{d|792|uc}})]]<br />
After organizing a skirmish between Imperial and Alliance border patrol ships in the Iserlohn Corridor to distract them, ''Hässliche Entlein'' was able to pass into the Alliance side of the Corridor undetected. The cruiser then skirted the edge of Alliance space in an uneventful southward journey to [[Fezzan Corridor]], where it caught Count Herxheimer's vessel and boarded it. In the process, they received valuable intelligence from {{rank|imperial|sub-lieutenant}} [[Neidhart Müller]], then the military attaché at the [[Galactic Empire High Commissioner's office|Imperial diplomatic mission]] on [[Fezzan]]. He and most of his family were killed in a decompression accident aboard the ship, except for [[Margareta von Herxheimer|his daughter]], who was taken aboard ''Hässliche Entlein''. Along with the Count's ship and the prototype generator aboard it—which they could not bring onto their own vessel as it was digitally locked onto his ship—the cruiser then evaded an Alliance patrol squadron while en route back to the Empire. They were able to use the generator to a limited extent, and even in that state it was enough to destroy the pursuing Alliance squadron. After that, Kircheis proposed that they make a deal to get the unlock code to the generator from the Count's daughter in exchange for her being able to defect to the Free Planets Alliance, to which she agreed. ({{ret|02|03}})<br />
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However, not only did the unlock code give access to the Seffle particle generator, but to secret information surrounding Count Herxheimer's attempted defection. The Count had learned that Duke [[Otto von Braunschweig]]'s daughter had inherited a genetic disease from her mother, meaning that Marquis Littenheim's daughter did as well, considering that their wives were sisters. That made them both ineligible claimants for the Imperial throne by the [[Inferior Genes Exclusion Act]]. Thus Littenheim tried to have him killed to suppress knowledge of that fact, prompting his defection. Reinhard and Kircheis were the only others, besides intelligence officer Bendling (who chose to defect to the Alliance with the Count's daughter), who were aware of the information. A short while later, ''Hässliche Entlein'' was able to return to Iserlohn Fortress after using the Seffle particle generator to break through an Alliance blockade and receiving supplies from supply ships led by [[Ernst von Eisenach]]. ({{ret|04}})<br />
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===Imperial Military Police===<br />
[[File:Steger denouncing.jpg|thumb|210px|left|Reinhard confronting the military school principal ({{d|793|uc}})]]<br />
Following the success of their operation, Reinhard received a promotion and transfer from the ''Hässliche Entlein'' back to Odin, where he visited his alma mater, the War Academy. As a seventeen-year old {{rank|imperial|captain|lc}}, he naturally was respected and admired by most of the cadets. After observing the school for a day Reinhard and Kircheis received their new assignment in the [[Imperial Military Police]]. Reinhard was annoyed by this as it would not give him the opportunity to distinguish himself and get a promotion, to which Kircheis reminded him it would be valuable to know how the MPs worked and that out of the Goldenbaum Dynasty's institutions, the Military Police was one that needed reform the most. It was during this time that Reinhard first learned of [[Ulrich Kesler]], a Fleet officer who transferred to the Military Police as an observer, and his efforts to try to keep the MPs from severely punishing a woman for ''lèse-majesté'', only for all of his work to have ultimately been in vain. It again incited Reinhard to go on a rant about the degenerate state of the Empire before he was interrupted by a call from the chief of police to receive his new orders: go back to the school to investigate a murder that took place the night before. ({{dmsn|01}})<br />
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A cadet named [[Karl von Reifeisen]] had been found murdered. Reinhard and Kircheis then investigated the matter, briefly interrupted by the death of his father Sebastian von Müsel. A second murder was later committed, of cadet [[Johann Gottholp von Bertz]]. Although Kircheis noted that Reinhard did not have to become an expert in everything, the two were able to solve the case, despite Reinhard's initial lack of interest in the assignment. In the process of the investigation they discovered that Reifeisen's death was an accident, but the school principal [[Gerhard von Steger]], the first to find his body, attempted to make it look like a murder both to prevent any accusations of negligence on his part, and to assist his grandson, who was third in the class. Bertz was the second in their class, and Steger killed him to remove an obstacle and to implicate [[Moritz von Haase]], at the top of the class, as the killer. Reinhard and Kircheis confronted Steger and explained the results of their investigation to him, taking him into custody shortly afterwards. Haase, who they discovered was color-blind and lied about this defect to get into military school, was also taken away, against Reinhard's wishes, who again saw it as an example of the folly of Kaiser [[Rudolf von Goldenbaum|Rudolf the Great]]'s policies; since this cadet with a genetic problem had been at the top of his class in military school. ({{dmsn|02|03|04}})<br />
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===Fleet command===<br />
[[File:Tannhaeuser in Van-Fleet.jpg|thumb|210px|Reinhard aboard the bridge of ''[[Tannhäuser]]'' near Van-Fleet ({{d|794|uc}})]]<br />
Having been promoted to {{rank|imperial|commodore|lc}}, the eighteen-year old Reinhard commanded a small squadron of the elderly {{rank|imperial|Vice Admiral}} [[Richard von Grimmelshausen]]'s [[Grimmelshausen Fleet|fleet]] at the [[Battle of Van-Fleet]] in March {{d|794|uc}}. The battle was viewed by Reinhard as completely useless and strategically insignificant, and initially Reinhard's squadron was placed in reserve along with the rest of the Grimmelshausen Fleet, much to the young commodore's frustration. The Imperial commander-in-chief, [[Gregor von Mückenberger]], saw the old admiral as a liability and sent his force to the fourth planet orbiting [[Van-Fleet (star)|Van-Fleet]], Van Fleet 4-2. Unbeknownst to the Imperials, an Alliance rear support supply base had been constructed on the planet. Reinhard voiced this possibility to Grimmelshausen and offered to lead the recon team on the ground, but Commodore [[Hermann von Lüneburg]]—an officer who specialized in ground warfare—asked to take command. The entire fleet proceeds to land on the surface, with Reinhard remaining aboard his flagship initially before taking part in an assault on the Alliance facility as the vice commander, below Lüneburg. This frustrates him as well, both because they are the same rank and the man's condescending attitude. It was the beginning of the rivalry between the two. ({{hbshbl|01|02|04}})<br />
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Over the course of the battle, Reinhard and Kircheis entered the Alliance base with Imperial forces and personally captured the base commander, {{rank|fpa|Vice Admiral}} [[Sinclair Cerebrese]]. As a result, Reinhard and Lüneburg were both promoted to {{rank|imperial|rear admiral|lc}} while Grimmelshausen was made a full {{rank|imperial|admiral|lc}}. Back on Odin after the engagement, the young flag officer had Kircheis check Lüneburg's background, and also visited Annerose once again, where he complained about Kircheis being refused a promotion. This changed soon after when Admiral Grimmelshausen recommended Reinhard's redheaded friend for a promotion. Not long after that Reinhard and Kircheis heard about a rumor spreading through the Imperial court which stated that Kaiser Friedrich IV planned to bestow upon Reinhard a new title, the Countship of Lohengramm, on his twentieth birthday. Reinhard uncharacteristically reacted positively to the suggestion. Reinhard later visited a party hosted by Grimmelshausen that celebrated his promotion to admiral, which included among its guest list, Lüneburg, with whom he nearly got into a fistfight with after Luneburg accused Reinhard of impropriety with his wife. ({{hbshbl|06|07|08}})<br />
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[[File:Friedrich IV and Grimmelshausen.jpg|thumb|210px|left|Kaiser Friedrich and Grimmelshausen discuss awarding Reinhard a countship ({{d|794|uc}})]]<br />
Later in the year both officers returned to the front lines for the [[Sixth Battle of Iserlohn]]. In the early part of the campaign Reinhard amassed several victories during the initial skirmishes ahead of the Alliance main fleet's arrival for the assault on Iserlohn, but received little attention from his superiors. The [[Free Planets Star Fleet]], however, became aware that there was a capable Imperial fleet commander at work who had handed them several stinging defeats and made attempts to entrap him using a plan developed by Yang. Outnumbered ten to one, Reinhard lost a third of his fleet breaking out of the trap. Later the Alliance completed its full deployment and began the Sixth Battle of Iserlohn proper. During the main engagement Reinhard's fleet was held in reserve. When [[Iserlohn Fortress]] was under dangerous bombardment by Alliance missile ships he launched an attack without orders, driving them away. He then seized the initiative and struck the Alliance flank, forcing them to counterattack on a narrow front where their numbers could not overwhelm his much smaller force. Rushing to join the battle, other Imperial fleets blocked the fire of Thor's Hammer and the battle became a melee (as Reinhard had predicted). ({{hbshbl|10|11}})<br />
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Reinhard's rival Lüneburg was killed leading a boarding action during this phase of the fighting. Meanwhile, while his squadron was being resupplied in Iserlohn Fortress, Reinhard met with Ulrich Kesler, who explained that Grimmelshausen sent him his memoirs which included information he had learned from various [[Nobility|high nobles]] over the years, including incriminating, secretive information. However, Reinhard declined and asked Kesler to keep the Grimmelshausen's book with the information, to be made public when the nobility of the Empire "are no longer in power." The blond rear admiral did not want to resort to blackmail to further his career. Meanwhile, back on the battlefield, Reinhard proposed to Mückenberger a plan to end the stalemate: to block the other end of the Iserlohn Corridor, which would make them break off the attack or be trapped and destroyed. Reinhard was appointed to command this force and the Alliance Star Fleet took the bait, following him and trying to withdraw from Iserlohn. The disengage Imperial Fleet then retreated as well, allowing the [[Thor Hammer]] superlaser to be used against the retreating Alliance ships to a decisive effect. ({{hbshbl|11|12}})<br />
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===The Third Battle of Tiamat===<br />
[[File:Reinhard pinpoint attack in Tiamat.jpg|thumb|210px|Reinhard's concentrated fire that won at Tiamat ({{d|795|uc}})]]<br />
To commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of Kaiser Friedrich's ascension to the throne (a rare feat in the Goldenbaum Dynasty) in December {{d|794|uc}}, the Galactic Empire announces a large new offensive against the Alliance, partly to distract the Imperial people from his lack of domestic accomplishments. This information is reported to the Alliance government via [[Dominion of Fezzan|Fezzan]] and soon several fleets are deployed to meet this threat. The two sides engaged each other in the historically known [[Tiamat Starzone]] in February {{d|795|uc}}. Reinhard's formation was initially kept in reserve as the battle began, by order of [[Gregor von Mückenberger]]. However, the young vice admiral had the opportunity to play a key role when [[Willem Holland]]'s [[11th Fleet]] charged directly into the Imperial formation, ahead of the other Alliance fleets. Chaos ensued, and Reinhard moved his fleet back, which encouraged Holland to think that the Imperial line was breaking. Orders from Vice Admiral [[Alexander Bucock]] of the [[5th Fleet]] to withdraw were ignored by Holland, who pressed the attack. However, the main Imperial body under Mückenberger's command eventually was able to disentangle itself from Holland's 11th Fleet, who by then had megalomaniac visions of invading the Empire himself from there. That gave Reinhard the opportunity to have his fleet launch a concentrated artillery attack at one point in the enemy formation, the center. The 11th Fleet flagship ''[[Epimetheus]]'' was instantly destroyed, Holland being killed instantly. Another barrage three minutes later broke the remaining 11th Fleet ships into a full retreat. ({{tbt|01}})<br />
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The retreat of the 11th Fleet was covered by their comrades in the 5th and [[10th Fleet]]s, however, preventing an effective Imperial pursuit and prompting Reinhard to admire the abilities of the 5th and 10th Fleet commanders. The Empire then withdrew, having achieved a propaganda victory by practically annihilating the Alliance's 11th Fleet. Some dismissed his artillery attack that decided the battle as just luck, but the fact remained that Reinhard's action was decisive in the victory. Thus his promotion to admiral was assured. ({{tbt|02}})<br />
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==Later military career==<br />
===The Battle of Legnica===<br />
[[File:Brunhild crest ONW (BD).jpg|thumb|210px|left|Future Imperial Supreme Flagship ''Brünhild'' ({{d|795|uc}})]]<br />
With the victory at the Third Battle of Tiamat, Reinhard was promoted to the Admiralty—becoming the youngest full admiral in the Galactic Empire. As an admiral, Reinhard was given command of a [[Lohengramm Fleet|fleet]] and his own, a one-of-a-kind warship, the ''[[Brünhild]]''—the bloodthirsty maiden. It was an experimental battleship, the only one of its class, constructed with advanced technologies that ignored to mass production costs. Among its various upgrades was advanced command and control equipment that allowed Reinhard to direct massive fleets of warships. The vessel did not have to wait long to see its first action, as Imperial Admiral Reinhard von Müsel was ordered to command his expeditionary fleet to Iserlohn. ({{tbt|2}}; {{ffc|1r|full}})<br />
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Upon arrival to the fortress, Reinhard von Müsel's expeditionary fleet was ordered to intercept an Alliance fleet that had approached the area in further in the Corridor by the commander-in-chief, Fleet Admiral Mückenberger. The recently arrived Imperial reinforcements were exhausted from the long journey to Iserlohn: the order to attack was a transparent attempt to get Reinhard killed: many of the nobility were jealous of Reinhard's favour with the Kaiser, believing he had been granted a command at such a young age solely because of his sister's influence. Reinhard encountered the Alliance fleet into the atmosphere of the planet [[Legnica]], a gas giant in the Tiamat Starzone. In the upper layers of the atmosphere, the ships of both fleets were forced to fight at extremely close-ranges, as sensors and communications were virtually non-functional. Reinhard ordered his fleet to engage the enemy in close combat for several minutes, having each ship fire all of its cannons as frequently as possible. This rapidly energized the upper layer of Legnica's atmosphere, creating a massive wind storm that propelled a great deal of the hydrogen and helium in the atmosphere upward. Reinhard then had his fleet rise up out of the atmosphere, where he then fired a single nuclear missile from the ''Brünhild'' to Legnica's core. When the nuclear warhead detonated, it ignited the atmosphere: the Alliance fleet took heavy damage in the ensuing firestorm. ({{mciss}})<br />
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Though Reinhard von Müsel had managed to inflict heavy losses on the Alliance fleet with only token losses to his own forces, he was not given proper credit for his victory, as the weather conditions were assumed by his superiors to have been a natural phenomenon and his victory attributed to luck. This further strengthened the perception that Reinhard was an incompetent commander who had only achieved his rank by "hiding under his sister's skirts", further encouraging contempt for him on behalf of the high nobles. ({{mciss}})<br />
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===The Fourth Battle of Tiamat===<br />
[[File:Kircheis Reinhard Mecklinger.jpg|thumb|210px|Reinhard, Kircheis, and chief of staff [[Ernest Mecklinger]] ({{d|795|uc}})]]<br />
The Free Planets Alliance chose to continue with their plans to assault Iserlohn Fortress despite their defeat at Legnica. The Imperial fleets stationed at Iserlohn, under the command of Gregor von Mückenberger, sailed forth to meet the Alliance fleet head on: Reinhard von Müsel's fleet was positioned at the left wing of the formation. Determined to be rid of the "Admiral of the Skirts" once and for all, Mückenberger ordered Reinhard's formation to advance on the Alliance fleets alone as a diversionary measure: the rest of the Imperial Fleet would maintain is position, meaning Reinhard's smaller force would be annihilated by the vastly more numerous Alliance ships. Reinhard complied with the order but staked his survival on a complete gamble. He advanced his fleet toward the enemy formation alone, but rather than open fire on them once he was in range, however, Reinhard had his entire fleet turn ninety degrees to the right. The blond admiral's fleet then slowly moved in front of the Alliance fleet, utterly exposed. Unable to comprehend why an enemy intentionally made itself so vulnerable, the Alliance fleet commanders refused to attack Reinhard's forces, believing his maneuver to be some sort of elaborate trick. Their inaction allowed Reinhard to position his forces along the left flank of the Alliance formation. ({{mciss}})<br />
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By the time they realized their error, the main Imperial Fleet had entered combat range, forcing the Alliance invasion force to deal with the main Imperial force, ignoring Reinhard's detachment. The Imperial fleet was roughly equal in size to the Alliance fleet, turning the battle into a violent brawl. Understanding he had been outsmarted by the young admiral, Mückenberger refused to ask Reinhard's fleet to attack: Mückenberger believed that he was similarly petty, and would not move to aid the besieged Imperial forces unless ordered to do so. Reinhard, however, realized that the gratitude of the thousands of soldiers whose lives he could save by attacking the Alliance flank far outweighed the ire he would earn from embarrassing Mückenberger. He ordered his fleet to attack, and in moments the Alliance forces were facing a rout. ({{mciss}})<br />
[[File:Yang under Brunhild 2.jpg|''Ulysses'' takes ''Brünhild'' hostage ({{d|795|uc}})|thumb|left|210px]]<br />
<br />
At this point, the Alliance forces decided they had no choice but to retreat. They were determined to launch a diversionary attack directly against Iserlohn Fortress, to draw off the bulk of the Imperial fleet and buy enough time for them to escape. {{rank|fpa|Commodore}} [[Yang Wen-li]] volunteered to lead the diversionary attack: he took a single battleship, the ''[[Ulysses]]'', with a skeleton crew along with 4 unmanned cruisers straight for Iserlohn. Using sensor decoys, Yang Wen-li was able to fool the Imperial Fleet into thinking he was leading a fleet of several thousand warships toward the undefended fortress. Mückenberger immediately ordered the fleet to go back to Iserlohn, and taking advantage of this opportunity, the Alliance began to retreat while inflicting additional losses upon the Imperial commander's main force. Fortunately, Reinhard immediately realized the Alliance fleet was a decoy operation, and managed to reveal this fact to Mückenberger. This prompted the Fleet Admiral to resume the attack on the Alliance forces, preventing them from retreating. Determined to save the lives of his fellow soldiers, Yang Wen-li then flew his battleship straight into the heart of the Imperial Fleet. There, he assumed a position immediately beneath the ''Brünhild'', effectively taking Reinhard von Müsel hostage. Reinhard ordered his forces to disregard his own safety and open fire on Yang Wen-li's ship, but they refused, with Captain [[Karl Robert Steinmetz]] saying that as the captain of the flagship he would not put it into unnecessary danger, a statement that Reinhard accepted. Mückenberger also did not fire, unwilling to risk the political damage of directly killing the brother of Kaiser Friedrich's favored concubine. Both the Imperial and Alliance fleets held fire on each other until they had passed, at which point Yang left the battlefield, monitored by Reinhard. ({{mciss}})<br />
<br />
After the Fourth Battle of Tiamat, Reinhard was promoted to High Admiral, and firmly established a reputation for himself as a brilliant tactician because of his actions during the engagement. Furthermore, Reinhard went to lengths to learn the name of the Alliance officer who had managed to open up a path to safety for the retreating Alliance forces, while at the same time Yang Wen-li had sought out the name of the commander of the white ship. From this point on, the rivalry with Yang Wen-li would help to define Reinhard's life. ({{mciss}})<br />
<br />
===Astarte and other developments===<br />
[[File:Conspiring.jpg|thumb|210px|The three military chiefs deciding on Reinhard's deployment ({{d|796|uc}})]]<br />
Having secured a reputation as a skilled military officer at Tiamat, Reinhard received a hero's welcome at the Imperial City on Odin, where he was promoted to {{rank|imperial|high admiral|lc}} and is formally granted the title of Count von Lohengramm by His Majesty the Kaiser. Although he did not expect to be deployed any time soon, the scheming of Duke Otto von Braunschweig, the most powerful aristocrat in the Empire, and other high nobles—who by that point had no choice but to acknowledge the young high admiral and despised him—resulted in the High Command Office deciding to send him back to the front. Not only that, but as he found out, most of his top officers in the [[Lohengramm Fleet]] (including chief of staff [[Ernest Mecklinger]], fleet commanders [[Oskar von Reuenthal]] and [[Wolfgang Mittermeyer]], and even the ''Brünhild'''s captain Steinmetz) were to be temporarily replaced by other commanders that he had not worked with for this operation. Although Kircheis was unenthusiastic, Reinhard was glad and saw it as an opportunity to gain even more accolades for advancement. He was ordered to lead a fleet of 20,000 vessels to invade Alliance space. However, the details were leaked by Duke von Braunschweig via [[Dominion of Fezzan|Fezzani]] leader [[Adrian Rubinsky]] to the Alliance government, and they dispatched the [[2nd Fleet]], [[4th Fleet]], and [[6th Fleet]] to counter him. ({{onw}})<br />
<br />
The fleet under Reinhard advanced towards the [[Astarte Starzone]]. The three Alliance fleets were divided and intended to attack the Imperial force from three sides, encircling the enemy formation in a repeat of the historical [[Battle of Dagon]], around 156 years earlier. Since the three different fleets, while greater in total number, were weaker than Reinhard's force on an individual level, he decided to speed up and annihilate each one of them individually before they could meet up. This resulted in the near-total destruction of the 4th and 6th Fleets before he attacked the 2nd Fleet, where the actions of Yang Wen-li, who took command upon Vice Admiral [[Paetta]] becoming injured, prevented it from suffering the same fate as its comrades. Nonetheless, the [[Battle of Astarte]] ended as an overwhelming Imperial victory despite the overall numerical inferiority of Reinhard's forces. Shortly after this victory he was promoted to rank of Fleet Admiral, an unprecedented achievement for someone of his age, and was made Vice Commander of the Imperial Space Fleet. In this position he commanded around a third of the fleets in the Empire, and after the fall of Iserlohn Fortress, he was put in charge of the war front on the Imperial side of the Iserlohn Corridor. Reinhard was also granted his own admiralty, and selected talented individuals he had encountered over his previous military service to staff his new command. These young commanders—commoners and lesser nobility—had previously been in low ranking positions, with their talents and initiative unrecognized and unappreciated by hierarchical and largely highborn senior officers. ({{logh|001|002|004|005|011}}, {{onw}})<br />
<br />
Among his admiralty were most notably Wolfgang Mittermeyer and Oskar von Reuenthal, who were known to be particularly talented fleet commanders. Their history with Reinhard went back further than that, however. On 2 May {{d|795|uc}}, Reuenthal visited Reinhard and Kircheis, asking them for assistance to free his best friend Mittermeyer. He had executed a noble-born subordinate for a crime against a civilian, following martial law, but since Mittermeyer was a commoner he was then illegally detained by some high nobles and kept in prison. Reuenthal confirmed his views on the state of the Goldenbaum Dynasty and subsequently pledged fealty to Reinhard in exchange for helping free Mittermeyer from the high nobles, which they did. Afterwards both of the young commanders became loyal followers of Reinhard, at least initially. ({{logh|075}})<br />
<br />
[[File:Reinhard 3.jpg|thumb|left|210px|Reinhard at Astarte ({{d|796|uc}})]]<br />
Shortly afterwards, Reinhard assigned his friend Kircheis (who was a rear admiral at the time) to lead the effort in suppressing the [[Castrop Rebellion]]. The Emperor had ordered the blond admiral to requisition [[Maximilian von Castrop]]'s wealth, stolen from the Imperial state, and to quell the noble's revolt. Reinhard made the decision to send Kircheis in his place so that he could gain his own accolades, to establish a reputation as a skilled tactician in his own right. The two developed a strategy to destroy Castrop's main defensive weapon, the [[Artemis Necklace]] (thought to be impregnable), which was to utilize a directional [[Seffle particle]] generator. The ploy worked, and upon the loss of the Necklace, Castrop's subordinates murdered him out of fear of Imperial reprisal. That way the "impregnable" planet was freed by Kircheis' work without the loss of a single life besides Castrop's, increasing his reputation as more than just Reinhard's shadow and joining the ranks of the vice admirals of the Lohengramm admiralty. Kircheis expressed disappointment to Reinhard at the death of the noble, to which Reinhard replied that he considered Kircheis to be a "good man." ({{logh|005}})<br />
<br />
After the [[Seventh Battle of Iserlohn]] (which occurred about five months after the victory at Astarte) and the loss of Iserlohn Fortress to the Alliance, the three Imperial Chiefs of Staff sought to resign from their positions: it was obvious that one of the vacancies would be given to Reinhard. Instead, when Kaiser Friedrich IV gave Reinhard the choice of any of the three vacant seats, Reinhard begged the Kaiser not to dismiss any of the Chiefs of Staff, urging him to be lenient: those responsible for the defeat had already been punished by their own actions. The minister of state and acting Imperial premier, [[Klaus von Lichtenlade]], agreed with Reinhard (taken aback by the young admiral's decision), and Friedrich IV determined not to punish anyone for the loss of the fortress. In return for Reinhard's unexpected intercession on their behalf the three Imperial Chiefs of Staff dropped any attempts to punish [[Paul von Oberstein]], a staff officer of the Iserlohn Stationed Fleet who had escaped the fall of the fortress, and whom Reinhard then took on as an advisor. Oberstein had proven himself to be capable in politics in a way that Reinhard and Kircheis were not, and was an ardent opponent of the Goldenbaum Dynasty. He, like Reuenthal and Mittermeyer, would prove to be an important player in the Lohengramm camp in the years to come. ({{logh|008}})<br />
<br />
===Alliance invasion of the Empire===<br />
[[File:Konigs sun.jpg|210px|thumb|Ships of the Imperial [[Black Lancers]] at Amritsar ({{d|796|uc}})]]<br />
When Yang Wen-li captured Iserlohn Fortress, he hoped that the Free Planets Alliance, whose economy was in shambles after more than a century of continual warfare, would seek an equitable peace treaty. Instead, the ruling [[High Council]] of the Alliance, motivated by political gain, and some overly ambitious junior officers under [[Andrew Falk]] who sought personal advancement, saw an opportunity to strike into the heart of the Empire and to 'liberate' the people of the Galactic Empire from their oppressors. As Vice Commander of the Imperial Fleet, Fleet Admiral Reinhard von Lohengramm was tasked with the [[Invasion of the Imperial Territory|defense of the Empire]] by Emperor Friedrich. At the counsel of his advisor, Paul von Oberstein, Reinhard pursued a "scorched earth" strategy. Rather than engage the invading Alliance fleets directly, he had Imperial warships remove all supplies from every world in the immediate path of the Alliance force, leaving the people to rely on the Alliance "liberators" to feed them. Because he knew the Alliance invasion hinged upon the idea of liberating the peasants from the Kaiser's rule, Reinhard correctly calculated that the Alliance occupation forces would need to feed the civilians—thus creating a strained and long line of supply from Iserlohn. Once this supply line was attacked and severed by Vice Admiral Siegfried Kircheis, the invading Alliance troops soon found themselves to be under-supplied and starving along with the Imperial civilians. The people of the occupied planets, though initially thankful for the liberation, soon turned on the occupying Alliance forces who had resorted to confiscating food from the civilians. ({{logh|012|013|014|015}})<br />
<br />
As the scattered Alliance fleets, suffering from the lack of supplies and a drop in morale, reached the height of their fatigue, the Imperial Fleet launched its counteroffensive. Although many of their commanders realized there was no chance of winning, they attempted to make a stand, but ultimately suffered heavy losses before succumbing to Reinhard's stratagem. However, due to the speed and swiftness of these attacks, only three of the Alliance fleets were able to maintain combat capability (Yang's [[13th Fleet|13th]], Bucock's 5th, and [[Appleton]]'s [[8th Fleet|8th]]), the others all being destroyed, severely diminished, or having surrendered. Meanwhile, the commander-in-chief of the Alliance expeditionary force, Fleet Admiral [[Lassalle Lobos]], unwilling to relinquish his gains or admit defeat in the invasion, ordered all remaining forces to gather at the [[Amritsar Starzone]] in an attempt battle the combined Imperial Fleet directly ''en masse''. Reinhard was more than willing to oblige. At the [[Battle of Amritsar]], Reinhard personally led the obliteration of the Free Planets Alliance invasion force. After the loss of much of the 8th and 5th Fleets, the 13th Fleet and the surviving remnants of the others managed to withdraw due to Yang's tactics and cooperation with Bucock. Despite the Empire's ultimate victory, Reinhard was nonetheless frustrated with Yang being able to prevent him from achieving "total victory" over the remaining Alliance forces, taking out his anger on vice admiral [[Fritz Joseph Bittenfeld]] for a tactical blunder he made during the battle until Kircheis advised him to not make enemies of his subordinates. ({{logh|015}})<br />
<br />
Following their disastrous defeat, the devastated Alliance forces withdrew to Iserlohn Fortress with Yang's 13th Fleet remaining the only combat capable formation out of those that had taken part in the invasion. The Alliance had lost around two-thirds of its military strength, over twenty million troops. However, any thought of celebration in the Empire was quickly muted by a surprising development: the death of the Emperor from a heart attack. ({{logh|015|016}})<br />
<br />
===The Imperial Civil War===<br />
[[File:Erwin Josef II coronation.png|thumb|210px|left|Reinhard and Lichtenlade at the coronation of Erwin Josef ({{d|796|uc}})]]<br />
No sooner had the Free Planets Alliance been routed at Amritsar, did Reinhard learn that Kaiser Friedrich IV had died peacefully in his sleep, thus robbing Reinhard of his vengeance. There was no official heir-apparent since Crown Prince [[Ludwig]]'s death some years ago, thus it was inevitable that a struggle would occur over the throne between the Kaiser's immediate grandchildren: [[Elisabeth von Braunschweig]], [[Sabine von Littenheim]], and [[Erwin Josef II|Erwin Josef von Goldenbaum]]. The first two hailed from the two most powerful aristocratic families in the Empire, while Erwin Josef (five years old at the time) was the son of the deceased Crown Prince. Kaiser Friedrich's former minister of state and prime minister, Klaus von Lichtenlade, wanted to see the boy on the throne in order to be able to use him, rather than let either Otto von Braunschweig or Wilhelm von Littenheim take his position. Thus he sought Reinhard's assistance, as being a civil servant he had no military forces of his own. Paul von Oberstein foresaw this and thus Reinhard chose to support Lichtenlade, although both harbored no illusions that they were merely using each other. Lichtenlade became the Imperial regent and elevated his peerage to Duke, while Reinhard gained the title of . ({{logh|016}})<br />
<br />
It was also during this time that he first met [[Hildegard von Mariendorf]], the daughter of Count [[Franz von Mariendorf]], a high noble family that decided to side with him in the coming struggle rather than Braunschweig. Hildegard visited him shortly before the beginning of the conflict and pledged her family's fealty to him, in exchange for a guarantee of their wealth and territory. She would play an important role in rallying some [[Nobility#Reformer Nobles|reformist nobles]] to Reinhard's camp. ({{logh|018}})<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, many of the high nobles saw this as a blatant attempt by Reinhard and Lichtenlade to usurp the Imperial throne from the Goldenbaum family, the final straw in what they saw as Reinhard's treason against the dynasty. These reactionary nobles, led by Duke von Braunschweig and Prince von Littenheim, rallied and created their own organization to counter the influence of the Lohengramm–Lichtenlade axis and defend the old order, becoming known as the [[Lippstadt League]]. Their combined arms and wealth were greater than those of the central government, and so Reinhard struck preemptively in an attempt to pacify them. While they did seize control of government buildings and arrested some high nobles, the majority managed to escape, including Braunschweig and Littenheim. They gathered on [[Geiersburg Fortress]], their new headquarters, and named the renowned Imperial High Admiral [[Willibald Joachim von Merkatz]] as the commander-in-chief of the Lippstadt allied forces. As they were revolting against the child Kaiser, Reinhard had the nobles named the "Rebel Forces" in official documents, the same name that the Empire had used to refer to the Free Planets Alliance ever since the [[Battle of Dagon]] over 150 years earlier. Lichtenlade's government named Reinhard von Lohengramm the holder of all three offices of the Imperial Chiefs of Staff simultaneously, making him the Imperial Fleet Supreme Commander. ({{logh|016|018}})<br />
<br />
[[File:Reinhard 4.jpg|thumb|210px|Reinhard during the civil war ({{d|797|uc}})]]<br />
Reinhard himself oversaw the main operation against Geiersburg Fortress, while leaving his friend High Admiral Kircheis to pacify the noble-controlled frontier and other sectors. Under his command, the loyalist Imperial forces were able to drive the Lippstadt fleet back towards Geiersburg in the [[Freya Starzone]], where the high nobles took refuge in the fortress. Eventually, they left and attempted to [[Assault on Geiersburg Fortress|break the siege]], only to be beaten back. However, the Imperial Fleet's success over the numerically superior Lippstadt forces led to the nobles becoming increasingly aggravated. Whena revolt occurred on the planet [[Westerland]] and the local lord, [[Scheidt|a relative]] of Duke von Braunschweig, was murdered by his subjects, he ordered a nuclear strike on the planet. The Duke ignored the advice of his commanders and the attack was launched. Reinhard initially wanted to intercept it, but procrastinated in making a final decision as Oberstein wanted to let it go ahead and use it for propaganda purposes against the nobles. Oberstein did not tell Reinhard the correct time in which the attack would reach the planet, and it happened before he made a decision. A reconnaissance ship documented the [[Westerland Massacre|massacre]] and the images were beamed throughout the Empire, eliminating any of the popular support that the Lippstadt League might of had. However, the fact that Reinhard essentially played a role in this tragedy would haunt him for the rest of his life. ({{logh|020|022|089}})<br />
<br />
Not long after that, the nobles in Geiersburg became increasingly depressed while the fortress garrison became restless and began to rebel. Braunschweig decided to lead his forces in a final charge against the enemy, only for it to be routed. After he arrived at the fortress, a mass mutiny broke out among the troops and the Duke himself was forced to commit suicide by his chief retainer, Commodore [[Ansbach]]. Reinhard then arrived triumphantly at Geiersburg as the final resistance had ceased. However, when Ansbach presented the Duke's body to the victorious Reinhard, he pulled out a hidden weapon from within Braunschweig's corpse and attempted to fire at the young admiral. Siegfried Kircheis immediately attempted to shield Reinhard, and was killed as a result. Reinhard went into a inconsolable depression, and refused to see anyone. Seeing this, his admirals decided to take matters into their own hands. At the advice of Paul von Oberstein, both the assassination attempt and the murder of Kircheis were blamed on the Imperial Regent, Klaus von Lichtenlade. Reinhard's subordinates subsequently sent their fleets to the capital, Odin, to arrest Lichtenlade. ({{logh|023|025|026}})<br />
<br />
As Reinhard remained on Geiersburg, the Imperial fleets landed on Odin and seized control of the capital. Lichtenlade was arrested and forced to commit suicide, while the [[Imperial Seal]] was retrieved and transferred to Reinhard himself, thereby firmly established his new and total authority over the Empire. However, this victory was blackened by the death of Kircheis and the subsequent decision by his sister Annerose into withdrawing into seclusion on Odin, feeling guilty over her brother's friend's death. His remark to Oskar von Reuenthal over the fate of the defeated Lichtenlade's family, that he could also try challenging him if he felt he could do it, would also be the beginning of an emotional crisis in Reuenthal that would see its conclusion years later in a dramatic fashion. ({{logh|026}})<br />
<br />
==Prime minister==<br />
===Reforming the Reich===<br />
[[File:PMresidence.png|thumb|210px|Jubilant crowds in front of Prime Minister Lohengramm's [[Prime Minister's official residence|office]], Odin ({{d|798|uc}})]]<br />
With the fall of both Lichtenlade and the high nobles, Reinhard was left as the single most powerful figure in the country, and after being appointed Prime Minister of the Galactic Empire (simultaneously as the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet), Reinhard set about implementing drastic reforms. He received help from reformist nobles such as [[Hildegarde von Mariendorf]], [[Eugen Richter]], and [[Karl Braque]], the latter two being cabinet ministers who gave up their noble titles to serve Reinhard. The child Emperor Erwin Josef II was not a threat and was essentially a puppet, and thus Prime Minister Duke von Lohengramm became the ''de facto'' dictator of the Empire. Among those reforms he instituted early on, starting in January {{d|798|uc}}, were nationalizing the wealth of the defeated high nobles, which alleviated the Empire's economic problems in a single decision, as well as abolishing the traditional class system itself—much to the support of the common people. The promotion of civil liberties and other rights that would have been unthinkable just a couple of years ago became the new norm. Although the Goldenbaum Dynasty ''de jure'' remained in power, its foundations were effectively being swept away. However, despite his success in seizing control of the Empire, Reinhard continued to suffer an emotional crisis over the death of Kircheis and the withdrawal of his sister Annerose into seclusion as a result of Kircheis' death. ({{logh|027}})<br />
<br />
At the same time, during this early period of reform, the Lohengramm government became entangled in the plots of the Fezzani autonomous region leader, [[Adrian Rubinsky]]. Seeing that the Empire had been strengthened by its [[Imperial Civil War|civil war]] while the [[Alliance Civil War|one]] in the Alliance had weakened it, he decided to allow the Empire to conquer the devastated Alliance so that Fezzan could seize control of this new regime. To that effect, their first plan was to pitch the idea of putting warp-capable engines on Geiersburg Fortress and using it to attack Iserlohn, sending the information regarding that plan to the Imperial Fleet's science and technology inspector general, Admiral [[Anton Hilmer von Schaft]]. Schaft proposed the plan and it was accepted by Reinhard, but not with much enthusiasm, as the public and the Imperial leadership were largely not in favor of any more war and would rather have a period of rebuilding. Nonetheless, Reinhard authorized the plan to mobilize Geiersburg Fortress to Iserlohn, and the testing the new engines was successful on 18 March {{d|798|uc}}. At the same time, unbeknownst to Reinhard or the Empire, the Fezzanis had gone to work in arranging that Yang Wen-li, who had been appointed as commander-in-chief, Iserlohn, was summoned by the Alliance government away from the fortress before the Imperial attack. After Reinhard gave the order, Geiersburg entered the Iserlohn Corridor on April 10. ({{logh|028|029|030|031}})<br />
<br />
Even as the Geiersburg deployment was playing out, the Fezzanis hatched yet another scheme to keep the Alliance and Empire from realizing that they could coexist and make it inevitable that one had to destroy the other. As part of this scheme, two former Lippstadt League veterans who were living in exile on Fezzan, Count [[Alfred von Landsberg]] and Captain [[Leopold Schumacher]], were hired by Rubinsky's aide [[Rupert Kesserling]] to kidnap the child Emperor and bring him to the Alliance, where they would set up a "legitimate" [[Galactic Empire Legitimate Government|government-in-exile]] with the other high nobles. Ultimately, the Iserlohn garrison was able to hold out without Yang, and he eventually returned. At that point, the combined Alliance forces were able to defeat the Imperial invaders and destroy Geiersburg. This defeat enraged Reinhard, who had not expected [[Karl Gustav Kempff]] to lose 90% of his forces in this attempt. The young Imperial dictator had appointed Kempff to the position of Geiersburg commander, but had remarked he was the kind of admiral who was no longer useful if he lived too long. Although he outwardly mourned the demise of Kempff, it still made one of his chief retainers, High Admiral Oskar von Reuenthal, uneasy, and set the early seeds of what would manifest itself years later. But Reinhard remembered Kircheis, and how he would have urged restraint on Reinhard's part, and thus decided not to punish Kempff's returning second-in-command, Neidhart Müller. ({{logh|029|030|033|035}})<br />
<br />
===The Emperor's Abduction===<br />
[[File:Kaiserine Catherine coronation.png|thumb|210px|left|Prime Minister Lohengramm announcing the coronation of Empress Catherine ({{d|798|uc}})]]<br />
With the loss of the Geiersburg Fortress and the [[Kempff Fleet]] last spring, the Imperial public was largely against the idea of any further extended warfare, to Reinhard's annoyance. But the Fezzani plan that had been put in motion would culminate during the summer of {{d|798|uc}} and make another confrontation inevitable. In June, the Prime Minister was informed by the Military Police chief Ulrich Kesler that Landsberg and Schumacher arrived on the Imperial capital with Fezzani passports. He orders them to be tracked and after some discussions with his secretary, Hildegarde von Mariendorf, he summoned Fezzan's ambassador on Odin, [[Nicholas Boltik]]. Reinhard deduced the essence of the Fezzani plot to kidnap the child Kaiser, and essentially made a deal to go along with their plan to help him conquer the Alliance, with the kidnapping and the government-in-exile that would be created providing the necessary ''casus belli''. Both men left the discussion being convinced that they were successfully using each other, although Boltik did not surmise the extent of Reinhard's own plan, which was to use the demilitarized Fezzan Corridor to take the Alliance by surprise and avoid attacking Iserlohn. Boltik said he would ask his government about it, but Reinhard secretly made up his mind to seize control of it forcefully. ({{logh|036}})<br />
<br />
Because of this, Reinhard basically permitted Landsberg and Schumacher to go ahead and kidnap the Emperor. On the night of July 6–7, the two Lippstadt veterans carry out their plan and kidnap Erwin Josef II from his palace. Fezzan arranged for them to be taken by a smuggler through the Fezzan Corridor to the Alliance, where they used their influence to make sure the Alliance government under [[Job Trunicht]] went along with their plan. Meanwhile, the young Imperial leader declared a state of emergency and convened a meeting of the High Command, in which he told his admirals to place their fleets into immediate combat readiness. Later, a broadcast from the Alliance revealed the composition of the new "Galactic Empire Legitimate Government" under the Kaiser and led by premier [[Jochen von Remscheid]], a high noble Lippstadt supporter and former Imperial high commissioner to Fezzan. Trunicht also stated the Free Planets Alliance's willingness to assist the former Goldenbaum loyalists in a united front against Reinhard. On August 20, Reinhard officially confirmed the kidnapping of Erwin Josef II and denounced the Alliance government for its responsibility in this matter, thus essentially declaring war. ({{logh|036|037|038}})<br />
<br />
On September 20, Reinhard von Lohengramm proclaimed the abdication of the kidnapped Erwin Josef II, and named eight-month old infant [[Catherine von Goldenbaum]] as his successor on the throne, making her the Empire's first Kaiserin, as well as the 38th and last Goldenbaum monarch. ({{logh|041}})<br />
<br />
===Operation Ragnarök: Fall of the Alliance===<br />
[[File:Reinhard sun(DVD-CA).jpg|thumb|210px|Reinhard arriving on occupied Fezzan ({{d|799|uc}})]]<br />
An invasion plan was quickly developed by Reinhard and his admirals, which was based on using the Fezzan Corridor to invade the Alliance. Boltik decided to cooperate with Reinhard and was to be appointed as the interim governor-general of Fezzan after its occupation. Reinhard then officially announced an operation against Iserlohn, while leaving out the part of their plan to invade Fezzan (which Yang Wen-li foresaw, but was ignored by his government). On the same day that Empress Catherine I was put on the throne, High Admiral Oskar von Reuenthal led a fleet to attack Iserlohn Fortress. The attack served its purpose, to distract the Alliance leadership, while the bulk of Reinhard von Lohengramm's fleets then entered the Fezzan Corridor. In December of {{d|798|uc}}, High Admiral Wolfgang Mittermeyer, the Gale Wolf, successfully invaded and occupied the Dominion of Fezzan, taking Rubinsky completely by surprise and forcing him to go into hiding. Once the planet was firmly under the control of Mittermeyer's forces (although Rubinsky was able to evade capture), the rest of Reinhard's fleets entered Fezzani space. When Duke Reinhard von Lohengramm disembarked the ''Brünhild'' on Fezzan's surface, he was met by the loud cheering of tens of thousands of Imperial sailors, all chanting, 'Sieg mein Kaiser! Sieg Kaiser Reinhard!' The young Imperial dictator celebrated New Year's with his officers on Fezzan before continuing the campaign. ({{logh|041|042|043|044}})<br />
<br />
The first stage of [[Operation Ragnarök]], to secure Fezzan while launching a distraction near Iserlohn, was completed and set the Alliance people and government into a panic. The combined defeats at Astarte, Amritsar, and the civil war had effectively destroyed most of the Free Planets Star Fleet's fighting forces, leaving the [[Yang Fleet]] on Iserlohn and the [[1st Fleet]] on Heinessen as the only combat capable formations. Although the Fleet General Staff Office gave Yang clearance to "do what you think is best", in other words giving him permission to abandon Iserlohn and to come fight against the main Imperial force, some time was necessary for this to be carried out. Meanwhile, the 1st Fleet set forth from the Alliance capital to meet the advancing Imperial forces (the [[Mittermeyer Fleet]] entered Alliance space from the Fezzan Corridor on 8 January {{d|799|uc}}), along with various reserve and systems defense squadrons that collectively became the [[14th Fleet]] and [[15th Fleet]]. This new Combined Fleet was under overall command of Admiral Bucock, the commander-in-chief of the Space Fleet. The two forces clashed in the [[Battle of Rantemario]] (February {{d|799|uc}}), and despite being outnumbered the Alliance forces put up a fierce resistance that ultimately failed to achieve its objective of defeating the Imperials. The Yang Fleet, leaving Iserlohn Fortress for Reuenthal to retake, was not able to arrive in time to prevent them from being defeated, but did distract the Imperial Fleet with an attack from the rear to give time for the surviving Alliance vessels under Bucock to withdraw, and in the coming weeks Admiral Yang waged a guerrilla war against the Imperial invaders. ({{logh|044|045|046|048|049}})<br />
<br />
The Alliance Secretary of Defense [[Walter Islands]] agreed to Yang's plan of using harassment raids on Imperial supply convoys and defeating other Imperial fleets to draw out Reinhard and kill him in battle, which could end the Imperial invasion. Yang was able to successfully destroy the poorly-guarded supply convoy, much to Reinhard's annoyance, who had Rear Admiral [[Sombart]] punished for his failure to defend it. The young Alliance hero was also able to defeat other second-tier admirals under Reinhard, deliberately avoiding Reuenthal and Mittermeyer (Reinhard's "twin pillars"), and finally got Reinhard to decide to draw out Yang by coming to battle himself. ({{logh|049|050}})<br />
<br />
===The Battle of Vermilion===<br />
[[File:Yang Reinhard Vermilion encounter.jpg|thumb|left|210px|The two fleets at Vermillion ({{d|799|uc}})]]<br />
Since the Alliance hoped that that Reinhard's death could cause the Galactic Empire to fragment into another civil war and knowing this, the young conqueror dispersed his admirals, keeping only a relatively small main fleet with himself. He hoped that by using himself as bait he would draw Yang into an open confrontation. This strategy succeeded, and the two opposing fleets reached each other in the [[Vermillion Starzone]] on April 24. In the [[Battle of Vermillion]], Reinhard chose to use attrition tactics to wear down the Alliance forces, however, after Yang was unable to reach the ''Brünhild'', he tried to use a different approach. He used several asteroids from a nearby asteroid field and use his vessels to launch them towards Reinhard's formation, which was then thrown into disarray. However, while Yang then continued towards Reinhard's now exposed flagship, the [[Müller Fleet]] arrived in the system (the first Imperial unit to return) and prevented the Alliance from breaking through. Thus Niedhart Müller redeemed himself for the Geiersburg failure last year, and secured a reputation as the third most capable fleet commander after Reuenthal and Mittermeyer, becoming known as "Iron Wall" Müller. ({{logh|051|052}})<br />
<br />
However, the Müller Fleet was caught in an encirclement along with the bulk of Reinhard's remaining forces by the Alliance, and Yang led a detachment to attack the ''Brünhild''. It was the first tactical defeat in battle that Reinhard faced in his life. However, before they could open fire and finish him off, the Alliance fleet suddenly received an order to stand down and ask for a ceasefire. Hildegard von Mariendorf had foreseen Yang's victory over Reinhard because she believed he was a better tactician, and had asked Reuenthal and Mittermeyer to take their forces to seize the undefended Heinessen, the capital, and forced the Alliance government to surrender. The plan succeeded and the [[High Council]] under Trunicht completely surrendered, ordering Yang to stand down. Yang, although urged by subordinates like [[Walter von Schönkopf]] to fire anyway, decided to obey the order and asked Reinhard for a ceasefire. Soon after, the battle was over and more Imperial fleets began returning to the Vermillion Starzone. The battle became the first and only tactical defeat of Reinhard in his life, although it was ultimately an Imperial strategic victory thanks to Hildegard von Mariendorf's actions. ({{logh|052|053}})<br />
<br />
==New Galactic Empire==<br />
===Establishing a new state===<br />
[[File:Reinhard with crown at throne (BD).jpg|thumb|210px|Reinhard with the crown at his coronation ({{d|799|uc}})]]<br />
Shortly after the battle, Yang boarded a shuttle and arrived on the ''Brünhild'', where he discussed philosophy with Reinhard regarding democracy versus dictatorship, and the two left the discussion agreeing to disagree. In the end, Yang declined Reinhard's offer to make him an Imperial Fleet Admiral, while Reinhard maintained the belief that Yang would have been willing to give up on the Alliance and join him. The young Imperial leader allowed Yang to depart and gave him assurances that he would not exact any revenge on Alliance politicians or military officers. Having secured the Alliance government's surrender, one of the final acts of the Lohengramm government under Goldenbaum rule was to conclude the signing of the [[Treaty of Ba'alat]], which essentially made the Alliance a client state of the Empire. Reinhard himself returned to Odin after appointing [[Helmut Lennenkampf]] as the Imperial consul on Heinessen and on 20 June {{D|799|uc}}, Duke [[Jürgen Offer von Pegnitz]], the father and Imperial regent of the young Kaiserin, signed a letter of abdication on her behalf, seceding her position to the blond admiral. Thus ended the nearly five hundred-year history of the Goldenbaum Dynasty. His coronation as the Kaiser was on June 22, held with a modest ceremony organized by Count [[Franz von Mariendorf]] (Hildegard's father), that Reinhard said would serve as a template from then on as opposed to the pompous and wasteful Goldenbaum era national ceremonies. With his victory over the Alliance, he had become the first [[Goldenlöwe Dynasty]] Kaiser of the [[New Galactic Empire]] and most powerful individual in the galaxy. However, Reinhard was disappointed that the two people he wanted to see there the most—Kircheis and Annerose—were not there. ({{logh|054|055}})<br />
<br />
In the weeks after the coronation, he accelerated the internal reforms that he began as Prime Minister of the previous dynasty. Reinhard chose to continue on as the head of government himself while also being head of state, naming Count Franz von Mariendorf as his deputy, the Minister of State. The young ruler later lamented that had Kircheis been alive, he could have focused solely on political affairs while leaving his friend to manage the military. Reinhard appointed Minister of Industry [[Bruno von Silberberch]] to design the new Imperial City on Fezzan, revealing that he intended to move the Imperial capital there from Odin. He also commissioned the minister of education, Professor [[Seeferd]], to write an official history of the Goldenbaum Dynasty, and later reviewed the formerly secret, now declassified information on Goldenbaum emperors that Seeferd had uncovered. Around the same time, Paul von Oberstein—now the Minister of Military Affairs under the new dynasty—suggested to Reinhard to idea of getting married and producing an heir to secure his rule. However, he implied that the most likely candidate, Hildegard, was not fit for the role as he did not want her to monopolize affairs of the state and become another Kircheis, in essence. Reinhard dismissed such worries from Oberstein and did not take his suggestion too seriously at the time. ({{logh|055|057|058|059}})<br />
<br />
However, during that period, Reinhard paid a visit to the terminally-ill Baron [[Heinrich von Kümmel]]'s estate, as a favor for Count von Mariendorf, who was his guardian. However, the event ended badly when Kümmel tried to take Reinhard hostage with some explosives installed in his backyard under their dining table. He did it mainly out a desire to not die without being remembered for something in history, but the event had actually been organized by the [[Terraism|Terraist Church]]. The assassination attempt on the Kaiser failed, however, when Reinhard hit the bomb detonation switch out of the Baron's hand. The plot resulted in Reinhard ordering the persecution of the Terraist Church, a religion that was previously tolerated by the Empire. Despite [[Internal Security Department]] chief [[Heydrich Lang]], a subordinate of interior minister [[Osmayer]], protesting that they needed more time to conduct a full investigation, Reinhard decided to shut it down by force. Its Odin branch was shut down by force, and soon the new Kaiser ordered an expedition to [[Earth]], the Church headquarters, in order to pacify the group of fanatics for their attempt on his life. For this task he assigned Admiral [[August Samuel Wahlen]]. The Mariendorfs, who were temporarily put under house arrest after the incident, were reinstated in their offices by an edict from the Kaiser and any talk about their involvement in treasonous activity was banned. ({{logh|057|058}})<br />
<br />
===War with Earth and Lennenkampf affair===<br />
[[File:ImperialWAFVgunhatch.jpg|thumb|left|210px|Imperial soldiers subjugating the Earth Church on Odin ({{d|799|uc}})]]<br />
Wahlen was dispatched to Earth by Reinhard shortly after the assassination plot, and he managed to successfully subjugate the planet, although the Terraist ideology did not die out completely. Wahlen himself nearly became the victim of an assassination plot by the Terraists and had to get a prosthetic arm after being stabbed with a poisonous knife. Meanwhile, a situation was developing in the Alliance which would soon become a headache for Reinhard. The Imperial consul assigned to Heinessen became increasingly hostile towards the retired Yang Wen-li, who was living a quiet life as a pensioner, due to rumors about his involvement with anti-Imperial resistance groups and hysteria from the incumbent Alliance administration under [[João Rebelo]] (Trunicht's successor, who resigned after Vermillion). The situation deteriorated when a resistance cell established by Yang immediately after Vermillion—led by High Admiral Willibald Joachim von Merkatz, the former Lippstadt commander who defected to the Alliance after the Imperial Civil War and served as Yang's ally—had hijacked decommissioned Alliance warships on 17 July {{d|799|uc}}. Lennenkampf was worried about Yang's intentions and the postwar Alliance government's ability to keep stability in the client state. ({{logh|054|058|060|063}})<br />
<br />
Oberstein spoke with the Imperial consul and told him that Yang should be arrest preemptively so that Reinhard can use the subsequent uprising from anti-Imperial groups that would be the result as an excuse to completely annex the Alliance. Meanwhile, Supreme Council Chairman Rebelo decided to arrest him first to not give the New Empire a chance to intervene. This ended up causing members of the elite Rosen Ritter regiment—against whom Reinhard fought back in his days as a mere commodore in the Imperial Fleet, on Van-Fleet—to rise up and kidnap Rebelo on Heinessen. They took him hostage and used it to secure their escape, although the government decided to try to execute the arrested Yang regardless. However, the Rosen Ritter freed Yang and escaped from the planet after storming the Imperial consulate and taking Lennenkampf himself hostage. With the consul as their hostage, the rebels were able to depart from Heinessen. Unbeknownst to the rest of the public, Lennenkampf actually committed suicide in his cell, but the just pretended that he was still alive to get away. Although Reinhard did not immediately react to the events that unfolded on Heinessen, he did formalize his plan to move the Imperial capital to Fezzan from Odin around the same time, indicating he intended to eventually annex the Alliance completely. ({{logh|060|061|062|065}})<br />
<br />
In the midst of this, the planet [[El Facil]] declared independence from the Alliance and became an independent state on August 13, and began trying to aggressively recruit Fleet Admiral Yang. The Rebelo administration denounced this move and thus El Facil became isolated. However, shortly after that a report on the situation from Admiral Steinmetz and the head of the Imperial consulate on Heinessen since Lennenkampf's death, Vice Admiral [[Sahm]], explained to Reinhard what had occurred, and the Kaiser made his decision. Given the rift between Yang and the Alliance administration, Reinhard again considered the possibility of Yang joining him. That was why in his official broadcast on November 10 explaining the events on Heinessen to the public, he left an open offer for Yang to join him, condemning the Alliance government for selling out both Lennenkampf and Yang. The Kaiser also announced that the Treaty of Ba'alat had been violated, and this could only be rectified with force. The next day he announced to his admirals the personnel decisions for the second Ragnarök operation. ({{logh|065|066|067}})<br />
<br />
===Ragnarök again===<br />
[[File:Brunhild.jpg|thumb|210px|''Brünhild'' at Marr-Adetta ({{d|800|uc}})]]<br />
While Yang ended up deciding to go to El Facil and planned to retake Iserlohn Fortress, Reinhard commanded the main Imperial fleet on its march into Alliance space for a second time, in December {{d|799|uc}}. In January the fleet engaged the remnants of the Free Planets Star Fleet under Alexandre Bucock's command, who utilized the dangerous terrain of the [[Marr-Adetta Starzone]] to his advantage in order to make up for the vast numerical difference. After brief encounters in a corridor running through an asteroid belt, Bucock's fleet attacked the Imperial formation from the rear. They were able to break through the Müller Fleet towards Reinhard's flagship only to be surrounded by the Imperial forces. Reinhard, on the suggestion of Hildegard von Mariendorf, offered Bucock a chance to surrender, but the old man refused, instead choosing annihilation. Afterwards, the young kaiser was enraged when heard of Lutz's loss of Iserlohn Fortress to Yang Wen-li, but decided to ignore it for now and continue on to Heinessen. ({{logh|068|069|070|071}})<br />
<br />
On 9 February {{d|800|Uc}}, Reinhard became the first emperor to set foot on Heinessen, as the Free Planets Alliance unconditionally surrendered to the New Empire. On February 20, the 273-year history of the Alliance is ended, with the state being annexed by the New Galactic Empire. Among his first acts was to have Alliance Joint Operations HQ chief Admiral [[Rockwell]] executed, who had killed Supreme Council Chairman Rebelo in the hope of buying security from Reinhard. Quite the opposite, he acquired the Kaiser's hatred for committing such a shameless act. Reinhard immediately contemplated a campaign against the [[El Facil Revolutionary Government]], or more specifically, Yang Wen-li at Iserlohn. However, an incident that demanded the Kaiser's attention prevented any immediate military action against the republicans. The scheming [[Heydrich Lang]], head of the [[Internal Security Department]] and one of the few Goldenbaum era high officials to keep a post under Reinhard's new regime, accused the Chief of the High Command Office, Oskar von Reuenthal, of being guilty of treason. The circumstances surrounding Reuenthal's relationship to a woman of the deposed Lichtenlade clan, [[Elfriede von Kohlrausch]], became the main 'evidence' of treason. Remembering the heterochromatic admiral's pledge of fealty back in {{d|795|uc}}, Reinhard did not agree with Lang's accusations against one of his most important vassals, one of the Twin Pillars of the Goldenlöwe Dynasty, and reinstated Reuenthal. Instead of remaining as Chief of High Command, however, he was instead granted another post by the Kaiser—that of Governor-General of the [[Neue Land|former Alliance territories]]. Although this was Kaiser Reinhard recognizing Reuenthal's loyalty and service, it ultimately would lead to tragedy in the future. ({{logh|073|074|075|076}})<br />
<br />
===The Battle of the Corridor===<br />
[[File:Corridor beam barrage.jpg|left|thumb|210px|The Imperial fleet entering the Corridor ({{d|800|uc}})]]<br />
Having secured the Alliance territories and leaving them to Reuenthal's administration, the Kaiser ordered his admirals [[Fritz Joseph Bittenfeld]] and [[Adalbert von Fahrenheit]] to secure the space around the Iserlohn Corridor. Their fleets departed on 23 March {{d|800|uc}}. A terrorist bombing occurred on Fezzan in April that resluted in the death of industry minister Silberberch, while Oberstein and Cornelius Lutz escaped with minor injuries. Reinhard continued with the Iserlohn operation, however. Before the Kaiser could arrive at the front, Bittenfeld and Fahrenheit disobeyed his orders and engaged the Yang Fleet ("El Facil Revolutionary Reserve Force"), being led by [[Dusty Attemborough]]'s squadron into the corridor. Ultimately, the Imperial force was defeated by Yang's tactics and Fahrenheit became the first high admiral of the new dynasty to be killed in battle. Outraged at the result and that they did not wait for his arrival, Reinhard still did not punish Bittenfeld and had Fahrenheit be posthumously promoted to fleet admiral. ({{logh|076|077|079}})<br />
<br />
Attemborough's squadron had lined the entrance to the Iserlohn Corridor with mines, though the Empire used directional Seffle particles to break through it and attack the Yang Fleet. After some fighting, the El Facil Revolutionary Reserve Force used the narrow confines of the corridor to its advantage and nearly reached the Imperial Supreme Flagship, resulting in the death of High Admiral Karl Robert Steinmetz. They were unable to reach Reinhard, though, and the battle fell into a stalemate. Bittenfeld's [[Black Lancers]] unknowingly killed [[Edwin Fischer]], Yang's deputy fleet commander and specialist in fleet maneuvers, severely crippling the Yang Fleet's ability to continue a coordinated fight. However, before the Imperial Fleet could deliver the ''coup de grâce'' to the remaining Alliance forces—suffering from less personnel and supplies—Kaiser Reinhard fell ill and requested a ceasefire with Yang. Admiral Yang and his colleagues accepted the Imperial offer, as their intention had been to last long enough to "win" a peace treaty with the New Empire. Reinhard later revealed that his memories of Kircheis were what led him to declare a ceasefire, claiming that Kircheis told him to become a friend of his constant rival. ({{logh|080|081|082}})<br />
<br />
However, Yang never made it to the peace talks: his cruiser, ''[[Leda II]]'', was intercepted by Imperial destroyers crewed by Terraist sympathizers, who used their disguises to get aboard and kill Yang, among many others. He died of blood loss on 1 June {{d|800|uc}}. The Kaiser was devastated by Yang's death, as he believed only he had the right to kill the man who had outwitted him on multiple occasions. In the end, the young monarch sent High Admiral Müller as his representative to the Iserlohn republicans to express condolences and discuss the future relations between the Empire and the republican faction, as the El Facil Revolutionary Government chose to disband itself, thus forcing Yang's successors to establish the [[Iserlohn Republic]]. Reinhard himself continued to manage Imperial political affairs from his sickbed, regretting that he had few political experts equivalent to his admirals' capability in military affairs. Because of this the Kaiser lamented the deaths of Bruno von Silberberch, a potential candidate for the post of prime minister, and Kircheis, to whom he could have left the management of the military while focusing on civil administration. ({{logh|082|083|084}})<br />
<br />
===Political intrigues===<br />
[[File:Capital transfer order.jpg|thumb|210px|Kaiser Reinhard announcing the moving of the capital ({{d|800|uc}})]]<br />
Although Reinhard did not recognize the Republic, he made no move to attack it, as with Yang's death it became mostly irrelevant to him. The Iserlohn faction lost a large number of personnel, who decided to leave upon the loss of Admiral Yang. But the political chaos in the galaxy was not over. As the Kaiser gave the official order to transfer the Imperial Capital from Odin to Fezzan, his admirals became entangled with the meddling of Heydrich Lang in political affairs, who was secretly in contact with Fezzani leader Rubinsky. Reinhard also reluctantly granted the disgraced Alliance politician Job Trunicht a post as a senior councilor at the Neue Land Governor-General's Office, initially expecting him to refuse to return to the former country he sold out, but was amazed by the man's shamelessness when Trunicht accepted the position. During that time he also had an audience with not only Fleet Admiral Mittermeyer (who served as Reinhard's Space Fleet Commander-in-Chief), but also his wife [[Evangelin Mittermeyer|Evangelin]]. With Mittermeyer he also reminisced of the time he first met Reuenthal. ({{logh|084|085|086|087}})<br />
<br />
While he was visiting a memorial in August {{d|800|uc}} that commemorated the dead soldiers of the Imperial Fleet, he was the victim of an assassination attempt by someone in the crowd. The attempt was easily prevented by the [[Imperial Guard]] but the man publicly accused Reinhard of complicity in the Westerland Massacre three years ago, back during the Lippstadt Rebellion. The Kaiser was depressed by that event and could not forgive himself for the few million deaths on Westerland, and so he ordered the man who made the attempt to not be executed—while the penalty for attempted regicide under the Goldenbaum Dynasty had been death for the criminal and his entire family. But shortly after this incident, the Kaiser ended up being consoled by Hildegard, who spent the night with him. The next day the flustered Reinhard went to the Mariendorf estate to ask for Hildegard's hand in marriage, wanting to take responsibility for what happened and not be like the promiscuous high nobles had been. ({{logh|089}})<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, the remaining Terraists sought to overthrow Reinhard and did not want him to produce an heir with a future wife. Their main plan became to provoke Oskar von Reuenthal into rebellion, and use that to bring down his new dynasty. On Fezzan, Adrian Rubinsky began a similar plot, using Heydrich Lang as a tool to carry this out. By September, rumors began to circulate that Reuenthal would invite the Kaiser on a trip to the Neue Land and assassinate him there, and in order to test Reinhard's belief in these rumors Reuenthal made an invitation for him to visit Heinessen. The Kaiser accepted and while he made a stop over on [[Uruvasi]], a planet near the Alliance exit of the Fezzan Corridor, he was the subject of another assassination attempt—this time by mutinying and confused Imperial troops. High Admiral Cornelius Lutz was killed defending him and buying time for Reinhard to escape back to his flagship, at which point the ''Brünhild'' left the planet and disappeared for a short while as it made its way back to Fezzan. Upon hearing of this, Fleet Admiral Reuenthal ordered his subordinates to locate and protect the emperor while also dispatching Admiral [[Alfred Grillpalzer]] to restore order on Uruvasi and investigate the mutiny. However, the truth behind the incident on Uruvasi would not be known for some time. ({{logh|090|091|092}})<br />
<br />
===Reuenthal Rebellion===<br />
[[File:Mittermeyer aiming Lang.JPG|thumb|210px|left|Mittermeyer nearly killing Lang over the Reuenthal affair ({{d|800|uc}})]]<br />
With the events on Uruvasi and the death of Lutz, Reuenthal realized that he was being turned into a traitor but could not bring himself to go beg for forgiveness from Reinhard, and by extent, Heydrich Lang behind him. Instead, the prideful admiral, who had ambitions of obtaining power for himself in the past, decided to actually start a revolt. Having secured the loyalty of his staff, including admirals Grillpalzer and [[Bruno von Knappstein]], he set about gaining access to the Iserlohn Corridor from the republicans in exchange for the entire former Alliance territory, but they ultimately declined the offer. The Kaiser was infuriated by Reuenthal's actions and perception that he was being controlled by Lang, who ultimately was investigated and found guilty by Admiral Kesler of having poisoned [[Nicholas Boltik]], the former Fezzan interim governor-general, in prison. Reinhard ordered Reuenthal's best friend, Wolfgang Mittermeyer, to lead the space fleet to pacify his rebellion, as the Kaiser attacking a vassal himself would agitate his other subordinates. Mittermeyer understood that and accepted the mission with a heavy heart, still thinking he might get Reuenthal to stand down. On 14 November {{d|800|uc}}, the Space Fleet Commander-in-Chief led a fleet of some 42,000 ships, along with admirals Wahlen and Bittenfeld, against Reuenthal's Neue Land Security Force. ({{logh|093|094}})<br />
<br />
Further attempts to mend the situation by different parties amount to nothing, and Reuenthal realized that he needed to win a victory to secure the morale of his men, whom he told they are fighting against villainous vassals misleading Reinhard. Ultimately, Reuenthal's forces were defeated during the [[Second Battle of Rantemario]], in which he was fatally wounded, and thus ending his short-lived revolt. Mittermeyer arrived on Heinessen shortly after Reuenthal and visited his friend for the final time, who by then had died in his office. Around the same time, it became known to Kaiser Reinhard and his subordinates of the roles of Grillpalzer and Lang, after an investigation by Admiral Ernest Mecklinger into the events that had transpired on Uruvasi, as well as the Terraist involvement. Lang, hearing of Reuenthal's death, confessed to everything and was subsequently executed, and Grillpalzer was quite likely given the same punishment for his role in covering up the truth behind Uruvasi. Reinhard, who realizes the Mittermeyer is the only one left he could truly depend on, allowed him to adopt Reuenthal's baby son, [[Felix Mittermeyer]]. Around December {{d|800|uc}}, Hildegard revealed that she was pregnant with the Kaiser's child, and accepted his marraige proposal. ({{logh|095|096|097|098|099}})<br />
<br />
===Final months===<br />
[[File:Reinhard and Hildegard wedding.JPG|thumb|210px|Kaiser Reinhard and Kaiserin Hildegard at their wedding ({{d|801|uc}})]]<br />
Reinhard began to get sick more frequently, although the cause of it was initially unknown. Meanwhile, he finally got married to Hildegard von Mariendorf shortly after the new year party in January {{d|801|uc}}, the wedding celebration being on the 29th of that month. Hildegard had been his longtime political advisor since the events of the Imperial Civil War and the potential candidate for his consort in the view of Reinhard's admirals. Meanwhile, riots broke out on Heinessen as a result of a food shortage, something Oberstein interrupted the wedding for to report to the Kaiser. Around that time Count von Mariendorf retired from the office of Minister of State in order to not have too much power as the father of the empress, much to the approval of Oberstein, and the Kaiser offered Fleet Admiral Mittermeyer that position. Also to Reinhard's gladness, his sister Grand Duchess Annerose stepped out of seclusion to attend the wedding, which she supported, and began to visit the pregnant Hildegard on Fezzan. ({{logh|100}})<br />
<br />
Although the riots on the former Alliance capital were pacified, another problem arose in February as [[Julian Mintz]], Yang Wen-li's successor as the leader of the Iserlohn Republic, decided to go to battle against the Kaiser. The Imperial admiralty had pondered the question of their own expedition and decided against it because of the strain to the national treasury, but had no choice now that the republicans were making a move. They scored an initial victory over the [[Wahlen Fleet]] in the Iserlohn Corridor and prompted Reinhard to personally lead an expedition. Reinhard fell ill again, however, thus leaving the Heinessen and Iserlohn questions to be resolved by his admirals. The news of the republican victory at the [[Eleventh Battle of Iserlohn]] encouraged republican agitation on Heinessen. Oberstein infuriated Bittenfeld, Müller, and Wahlen with his plan of using arrested former Alliance officials as hostages to force the Iserlohn republicans to sign a peace agreement. Their argument escalated and Bittenfeld tried to attack Oberstein, resulting in him being placed under house arrest and infighting breaking out between military police under Oberstein's Ministry of Military Affairs and the sailors of Bittenfeld's Black Lancers. Meanwhile, the Kaiser himself heard of this increasingly dangerous situation and traveled to Heinessen personally, ordering the release of the political prisoners after a riot at [[Rugpool Prison]] and bombings throughout [[Heinessenopolis]], asking to negotiate with the Iserlohn republicans. In addition, Rubinsky was apprehended by Oberstein's agents and taken into custody. ({{logh|101|102|103|104|105}})<br />
<br />
In May {{d|801|uc}}, despite the Terraists' attempt to attack Hildegard's residence, she gave birth to [[Alexander Siegfried von Lohengramm]], the prince of the new dynasty, at [[Fezzan Medical University Hospital]]. ({{logh|106}})<br />
<br />
===The Battle of Shiva===<br />
[[File:Brunhildboarded.jpg|left|thumb|210px|''Brünhild'' at Shiva ({{d|801|uc}})]]<br />
Meanwhile in the same month, a minor skirmish between Iserlohn Republic and New Galactic Empire forces would escalate into the final confrontation between the two factions, the [[Battle of Shiva]]. Fighting broke out between a squadron from each side over the escort of a civilian refugee ship, and both sides continued bringing in reinforcements in order to not back down. Julian Mintz wanted to win respect and a right to negotiate on an equal footing with Kaiser Reinhard, while the young ruler wanted both to subjugate them and to test Mintz's abilities. During the battle, the republicans noted the sluggishness of the Imperial Fleet's movements, which was due to Reinhard's impeded command ability from his deteriorating health. A communications blackout eventually occurred between the Imperial forces and HQ as they tried to conceal Reinhard's sudden collapse and unconsciousness. Eventually, the Iserlohn fleet took advantage of it and charged straight for the Supreme Flagship ''Brünhild''. A number of republican ships made it through the Imperial defenders and a boarding vessel made contact with ''Brünhild'''s hull. Getting aboard, the elite Rosen Ritter unit fought the defenders in an attempt to buy time for Mintz to locate the Kaiser, which he eventually was able to do. ({{logh|107|108}})<br />
<br />
Outside, Bittenfeld's Black Lancers and the [[Eisenach Fleet]] managed to fight the rest of the Iserlohn fleet back and dealt them heavy losses, causing the death of their commander, Admiral Merkatz. But on ''Brünhild'', Mintz made it to the Kaiser's chamber and was granted an audience for negotiations, and thus an order for a ceasefire was immediately broadcast to all ships from the Imperial HQ, saving the remnants of the Republic's battered fleet. ({{Logh|108}})<br />
<br />
==Death==<br />
[[File:Finale.PNG|210px|thumb|right|Kaiser Reinhard in his sickbed ({{d|801|uc}})]]<br />
Upon the Imperial expeditionary force's and the Republic fleet's return from Iserlohn to Heinessen on 10 June {{d|801|uc}}, news of Kaiser Reinhard's terminal illness was announced. There both the Kaiser and Mintz discussed the future of the galaxy, including the idea of giving Heinessen autonomy in return for Iserlohn Fortress, or the possibility of implementing a constitution in the Empire. However, Reinhard commented that Julian Mintz would have to discuss the details with Hildegard von Lohengramm, who would be his successor's Imperial regent. Reinhard was eventually diagnosed with a heretofore undiscovered, degenerative disease. Labelled the ' Emperor's Sickness', this malady took Reinhard's life at the age of 25. Even then he was briefly subjected to an attack by the Terraists after Oberstein used a false rumor of Reinhard's recovery to draw out the remaining followers of the Church, which ultimately was stopped but resulted in Oberstein's death. Reinhard von Lohengramm, first Emperor of the New Galactic Empire, died on 26 July {{d|801|uc}}, surrounded by his top admirals, officials, and relatives. Upon his death, Hildegard von Lohengramm assumed rule over the New Galactic Empire as Regent for the infant Alexander Siegfried. ({{logh|109|110}})<br />
<br />
==Legacy==<br />
Reinhard's life was characterized by a strong sense of justice and personal responsibility. By his own efforts, he claimed dominion over the galaxy, uprooting the old order and overthrowing the three major powers that had previously shared the universe for over a century: the Goldenbaum Dynasty, the Free Planets Alliance, and the Dominion of Fezzan. His enduring wish was to see his New Galactic Empire ruled not by blood but by merit, even if it meant the end of his dynasty. Reinhard may have been the perfect autocrat, but the abilities and personalities of his successors were unknown, paralleling the situation after [[Rudolf von Goldenbaum]] had founded the Empire. Given the groundwork he laid, however, and the moderate influences of his wife, supported by Fleet Admiral Mittermeyer, and the concessions to autonomy for the [[Ba'alat Starzone]] and more representative rule in the whole Empire, it was probable the transition to the early years of the post-Reinhard Empire was reasonably smooth.<br />
<br />
==Personal life==<br />
Reinhard von Lohengramm's desire to take over the universe had originated when his sister Annerose was taken from him and became a concubine at the Imperial court for Kaiser Friedrich IV. The bond between Reinhard, Kircheis, and Annerose was extremely close and served as the stimulus for his meteoric rise to the top, and when it was permanently broken following the Lippstadt War, Reinhard became a changed man. The only outsiders that came the closest to filling the void were Hildegard, his eventual wife, and perhaps Mittermeyer and Reuenthal given their pledge of loyalty and friendship with him, but to a much lesser extent.<br />
<br />
His political views were a mixture of both monarchism and republicanism, as he neither wanted to leave the fate of humanity to the whim of the masses, nor to the prodigal aristocrats who cared about their lineage. Although he opposed elections, neither did he particularly want a hereditary monarchy, and believed that his successor should be the most capable person for the position. In a choice between dictatorship and democracy, however, Reinhard preferred the former. He did have some other firm principles, including his belief in meritocracy and that one should be willing to lead his troops from the front line personally. But ultimately Reinhard's chief concern was the attainment of his ambitions to become the most powerful man in the universe and return to him what had been lost, namely, his sister Annerose.<br />
<br />
Reinhard had respect for Yang Wen-li personally and was willing to debate him on his principles on what could be described as an equal level, a stark difference from his attitude of utter contempt towards the elected Alliance politicians or the ruling nobles in the Goldenbaum empire. He also respected others that were particularly competent or principled, pardoning low level Alliance bureaucrats that refused to turn over sensitive documents and even commenting that had people like them been in charge the Alliance would never have fallen.<br />
<br />
Reinhard also disdained cowardice and treachery, executing the soldiers who murdered president Rebalo to curry favor with him.<br />
<br />
==Styles and titles==<br />
* March 776 - April 793: ''Herr'' Reinhard von Müsel<br />
* April 793 - September 795: ''His Wellborn'' Reinhard Reichsritter von Müsel (Imperial Knight)<br />
* September 795 - October 796: ''His Illustrious Highness'' Reinhard Graf von Lohengramm (Count von Lohengramm)<br />
* October 796 - October 797: ''His Serene Highness'' Reinhard Fürst von Lohengramm (Prince von Lohengramm)<br />
* October 797 - September 798: ''His Serene Highness'' Reinhard Herzog von Lohengramm (Duke von Lohengramm)<br />
* September 798 - July 801: ''His Imperial Majesty'' Galactic Kaiser Reinhard<br />
<br />
==Appendices==<br />
===Appearances===<br />
<div class="appear"><br />
*{{mciss}} (first appearance)<br />
*{{logh}}<br />
**{{e|001}}<br />
**{{e|002}}<br />
**{{e|004}}<br />
**{{e|005}}<br />
**{{e|008}}<br />
**{{e|009}}<br />
**{{e|011}}<br />
**{{e|013}}<br />
**{{e|014}}<br />
**{{e|015}}<br />
**{{e|016}}<br />
**{{e|017}}<br />
**{{e|018}}<br />
**{{e|019}}<br />
**{{e|020}}<br />
**{{e|022}}<br />
**{{e|023}}<br />
**{{e|025}}<br />
**{{e|026}}<br />
**{{e|027}}<br />
**{{e|028}}<br />
**{{e|029}}<br />
**{{e|030}}<br />
**{{e|031}} (???)<br />
**{{e|033}} (flashback)<br />
**{{e|034}}<br />
**{{e|035}}<br />
**{{e|036}}<br />
**{{e|037}}<br />
**{{e|038}}<br />
**{{e|041}}<br />
**{{e|042}}<br />
**{{e|044}}<br />
**{{e|045}}<br />
**{{e|046}}<br />
**{{e|047}}<br />
**{{e|048}}<br />
**{{e|049}}<br />
**{{e|050}}<br />
**{{e|051}}<br />
**{{e|052}}<br />
**{{e|053}}<br />
**{{e|054}}<br />
**{{e|108}}<br />
**{{e|109}}<br />
**{{e|110}} (death)<br />
*{{gw}}<br />
*{{onw}}<br />
*{{swv}}<br />
**{{e|Chapter I|SWV}}<br />
**{{e|Chapter II|SWV}}<br />
**{{e|Chapter III|SWV}}<br />
**{{e|Chapter IV|SWV}}<br />
*{{ret}}<br />
**{{e|Chapter I|RET}}<br />
**{{e|Chapter II|RET}}<br />
**{{e|Chapter III|RET}}<br />
**{{e|Chapter IV|RET}}<br />
</div><br />
<br />
===Memorable quotes===<br />
*In any age, in any society, when people are small, they look up at the stars and stretch out their hands as if to grasp them. Then at last,they learn that their own arms aren't long enough to reach the stars. They call that becoming an adult. But I don't think so. Without fail, those stars will be in this hand!<br />
<br />
*There is great satisfaction in fighting for the sake of gaining power, but it is joyless to fight for the sake of maintaining it. <br />
<br />
*These idiots. What do they think of others? They think they are born with the right to rule. They think they have the right to hurt others. These people are too evil. And this empire is too corrupted.<br />
<br />
*I want victory — but not because the enemy is weak.<br />
<br />
*It's power. What I need is power. If I should want to get my sister back, then I must first, first of all, possess power that would make those idiots bow to my command. If my enemies are to be the aristocracy, then I need a power greater than theirs. If the emperor is to be my enemy, I must be mightier than even him.<br />
<br />
*For those who have come to power, wealth and glory not by their own strength and effort, but simply through inheritance, what right do they have to complain? The very existence of such blood-lineage dynasties is disgusting. Power is the property of one generation. It shouldn't be transferred, it should be seized.<br />
<br />
*The man who succeeds me must have talent equal to, or greater than my own.<br />
<br />
*Genes determine everything? What nonsense. Hereditary physical qualities have no effect on people, that's for individuals. Heredity concerns family background, not personal abilities. Those who blindly believe in such theories generally having nothing in their own lives to be proud of... they are the people I despise the most.<br />
<br />
*Indeed, small acts of opposition cannot solve every problem. Our society needs a complete revolution. Such problems must be corrected, and we must not wait for others to correct them. We must carry out the revolution with our own hands.<br />
<br />
*If the enemy has anyone with even a tenth of my intelligence, even Iserlohn will fall.<br />
<br />
*Our future battles will not only be on the battlefield. Political struggles, court politics. It's not just a war of words, but also a war of blood.<br />
<br />
*It's to be expected that incompetent rulers be overthrown.<br />
<br />
*Fighting 100 battles does not mean winning 100 victories.<br />
<br />
*Already, I have nothing to lose. But even so, I will fight. To keep my promise to you, and... to gain something to quench the thirst in my heart.<br />
<br />
*What criminals need is neither diplomacy nor persuasion. They have neither the ability nor the intention to understand. Only force will enlighten their foolishness.<br />
<br />
*I aim to be the supreme ruler... and to reach that goal, I have a policy of my own. It is to fight my own battles. That's the difference between myself and the noblemen I've fought and defeated. That's also the reason why the soldiers follow me.<br />
<br />
*I cannot lose to anyone. People admire and stay loyal to me because I'm undefeated. I'm not supported because of my bloodline.<br />
<br />
*Something that is supposed to die and does not... will eventually rot away, whether it's a man or a nation.<br />
<br />
*I don't believe that absolute truth is necessary. I only need the power to freely accomplish my dreams. One could say that it's the power not to have to take orders from those one despises.<br />
<br />
*I formally acknowledge that terrorists have abducted his majesty, the Kaiser Erwin Josef. The whereabouts of his majesty, as well as of the lawless criminals who abducted him have both become clear. This band of criminals are former high nobles led by a former Imperial High Commissioner to Fezzan, Jochen von Remscheid, a Count under the old system. These villains, hiding among the rebels who call themselves the Free Planets Alliance, have illegally announced the establishment of a government-in-exile. I hereby declare: having abducted the Kaiser by illegal and cowardly means, the remnants of the high nobility who plan to reverse the flow of history and steal by force the rights that the people have established will receive a suitable repayment for this atrocity. The ambitious men of the Free Planets Alliance who had illicit dealings with them, and who also plot a rebellious war against the peace and harmony of space, will meet the same fate. Their mistaken choice must be met with an appropriate punishment. What criminals need is neither diplomacy nor persuasion, they have neither the ability nor the intention to understand either. Only force will enlighten their foolishness. Hereafter, no matter how great the volume of blood that comes to be shed, bear in mind these foolish criminals and conspirators and know that they are responsible.<br />
<br />
*But even if my sister hates me, I can't turn back. If I retreat now from the road to leadership, who will restore the universe to unity and harmony? Shall I entrust the future of humanity to the high noble prodigals who care only about their own lineage? Or to demagogues who just move armies guided by sophistry and profit?<br />
<br />
*What do they think people are? Assuming it's a matter of course to rule over them. Stealing from people and insulting people... yet they say it's their privilege to be forgiven?! Those people are corrupt! This empire is corrupt!<br />
<br />
*I don't think I can forgive Rudolf and what he did, becoming Kaiser. He set up the people who flattered him as nobles, and the result of that is this disgrace. Haven't you had thoughts like this, Kircheis? The Goldenbaum dynasty, as with the birth of the human race, need not have happened. It's only been 500 years since Rudolf built it. Before that, neither the Empire nor the Goldenbaum family existed, and he was no more than one citizen. Originally, Rudolf was no more than an upstart man of ambition, and who, riding the current of the times, was made into a sacred, inviolable Kaiser.<br />
<br />
*Kircheis, do you think what was possible for Rudolf is impossible for me?<br />
<br />
===Background information===<br />
*The name [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinhard Reinhard] is of old Nordic origin and means ''pure and sturdy''. In German, it roughly translates into ''determined''. Both attributes denoting to Reinhard's character as well as his ulterior motives and goals. Lohengramm is quite likely a mistranslation/misspelling of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lohengrin Lohengrin], the opera of Richard Wagner about the grail-knight of the same name.<br />
<br />
* Reinhard strongly resembles Napoleon Bonaparte. Both men started off as minor nobility. Both gained power and prominence through military accomplishment. Both became emperors and established an enlightened monarchy and Reinhard's combination of High Admirals and Fleet Admirals mirror's Napoleon's Marshals. One of Napoleon's most notable marshals, Jean Lannes, strongly resembles Siegfried Kircheis in both relationship and deeds.<br />
<br />
*Many of Reinhard's achievements and characteristics mirror those of Alexander the Great. Both men were military geniuses who ascended to power at a very young age. Both men conquered most of their respective known universes. Both men were responsible for sweeping social and political reforms that would impact all of human history to follow, and both men died at a young age shortly after their wars had ended. Reinhard's very close friendship with also Siegfried Kircheis parallels Alexander's relationship with his friend and general, Hephaestion.<br />
<br />
*Reinhard's life is also similar to that of Julius Caesar. Like Caesar, Reinhard's power stemmed not just from the military, but from the common people. Like Caesar, Reinhard was very popular with the lowest-classes of citizenry and feared by the ruling nobility. Like Caesar, Reinhard seized power through ostensibly legitimate means and stripped the ruling elite of their power, money, and influence. The scene of fleets loyal to Reinhard descending over Odin — of warships appearing over sacrosanct skies — also mirrors that of the 13th Legion crossing the Rubicon into Rome.<br />
<br />
*Reinhard also bears many similarities to Rome's first Emperor, Augustus. Like Augustus, Reinhard enacted many reforms that completely changed the social, political, legal and educational landscape of the Empire, and like Augustus, Reinhard focused on crafting a system of Empire that could survive in spite of, or despite, whomever might become Emperor after his death.<br />
<br />
*Reinhard is also somewhat similar to the French royalist leader [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Cathelineau Jacques Cathelineau], in terms of both physical appearance and traits. <br />
<br />
*Though its exact symptoms were never explicitly stated, the disease that ended Reinhard's life bore the name "Emperor's Sickness," a term that has been used commonly to refer to Hemophilia and Porphyria, as illnesses infamous for afflicting regal heads-of-state.<br />
<br />
*Reinhard's voice actor, [[Horikawa Ryō]], is also notable for his other big anime role: Vegeta, in the mega-hit anime Dragonball Z, its sequel Dragonball GT, and the many affiliated OVAs and movies.<br />
<br />
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[[Category:Soldiers|Lohengramm reinhard von]]<br />
[[Category:Imperial citizens|Lohengramm reinhard von]]<br />
[[Category:Nobility|Lohengramm reinhard von]]<br />
[[Category:Characters from Overture to a New War|Lohengramm reinhard von]]</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/New_Imperial_CapitalNew Imperial Capital2021-10-17T17:46:05Z<p>WalkerEmp: </p>
<hr />
<div>'''Neue Reichstadt''' was the capital of the [[New Galactic Empire]], it was located on the planet [[Fezzan]].<br />
<br />
==History==<br />
===Construction===<br />
Construction of the New Imperial Capital was greatly delayed when [[Terraist]] bombings not only destroyed a great deal of the progress already made, but also killed the lead architect of the endeavor, the Minister of Industry [[Bruno von Silberberch]].<br />
<br />
===???===<br />
...<br />
<br />
==Appendices==<br />
===Background information===<br />
*While the New Imperial Capital was under construction, the capital city on [[Odin]] functioned as the capital of the [[New Empire]]. At the same time, Kaiser [[Reinhard von Lohengramm]] declared that the bridge of the [[Brunhild]] would also be the capial of the Neue Reich: the only known instance of a single government having three capitals concurrently.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Cities|Imperial capital new]]<br />
[[Category:Galactic Empire|Imperial capital new]]</div>WalkerEmphttps://gineipaedia.com/wiki/Wilhelm_von_LittenheimWilhelm von Littenheim2021-10-12T08:48:15Z<p>WalkerEmp: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{infobox/character<br />
| image-top = Littenheim.jpg<br />
| caption-top = Marquis '''Littenheim''' ({{d|797|uc}})<br />
| gender = Male<br />
| affiliation = [[Galactic Empire]] ([[Lippstadt League]])<br />
| rank = [[Military ranks of the Galactic Empire#High admiral|High admiral]] ([[Lippstadt League]])<br />
| flagship = ''[[Ostmark]]''<br />
| status = Deceased (murder)<br />
| died = {{d|797|uc}}<br />
| spouse = [[Christine]]<br />
| children = [[Sabine von Littenheim]]<br />
| relatives = [[Friedrich IV]]<br />[[Herxheimer]]<br />
| actor = [[Terashima Mikio]] (Deceased)<br />
}}<br />
'''Wilhelm von Littenheim III''' (Japanese: '''ウィルヘルム・フォン・リッテンハイム3世''') was an [[Galactic Empire|Imperial]] [[Nobility|Fürst]], son-in-law to Kaiser [[Friedrich IV]] as the husband of his daughter Princess [[Christine]], and one of the most influential nobles at court during the late [[Goldenbaum Dynasty]]. Like his rival and later ally Duke [[Otho von Braunschweig]], he was a staunch defender of the old order in the Empire and opposed [[Reinhard von Lohengramm]] during the [[Imperial Civil War]]. However, Littenheim had no real martial talents and was defeated by {{rank|imperial|high admiral}} [[Siegfried Kircheis]], whose fleet had 10,000 fewer ships.<br />
<br />
Marquis Littenheim was killed by one of his former subordinates while at [[Garmisch Fortress]] shortly after his defeat in battle.<br />
<br />
==History==<br />
===Early life===<br />
[[File:Herxheimer and Littenheim.png|190px|thumb|left|Littenheim with his relative, Herxheimer ({{d|792|uc}})]]<br />
Marquis Littenheim was born into one of the most powerful noble houses in the Empire and became involved in politics during the late [[Goldenbaum Dynasty]]. He eventually married Princess [[Christine]], one of the two daughters of Emperor [[Friedrich IV]], becoming a member of the imperial family. The Marquis supported one of his relatives, Count [[Herxheimer]], in a dispute with the husband of Viscountess [[Dorothea von Schafhausen]] over mining rights in {{d|792|uc}}. Once he found out that Reinhard von Lohengramm, who was rising through the ranks of the [[Imperial Armed Forces|Imperial Fleet]] at the time, was going to duel in the elderly viscount's place against Herxheimer's duelist, Littenheim tried to get him killed by hiring a professional assassin. The assassin ended up failing. ({{logh|016}}, {{hbshbl|08}})<br />
<br />
Later on when Herxheimer found out that Littenheim's daughter [[Sabine von Littenheim|Sabine]] had a genetic disease that would make her ineligible to take the throne, Littenheim had no qualms in betraying his relative and trying to have him killed. This caused Herxheimer to attempt to flee to the [[Free Planets Alliance]] and he died in an accident aboard his ship during the attempt. Although Reinhard von Lohengramm, who commanded the mission to recover the defecting noble before he could reach the Alliance, learned of the secret, he did not give it away. ({{ret|03}})<br />
<br />
He had a longstanding feud with Duke [[Otho von Braunschweig]] as both were son-in-laws to Kaiser Friedrich IV. As Friedrich IV had no named heirs, this made both Marquis Littenheim and Duke Braunschweig, through the proxies of their children, contenders for control of the throne of the [[Galactic Empire]]. Along with Braunschweig and the other high nobles, he was also a major opponent of [[Reinhard von Lohengramm]] and his sister [[Annerose]], the Countess Grünewald, at court. ({{logh|016|018}}, {{hbshbl|08}})<br />
<br />
===Imperial Civil War===<br />
When Kaiser [[Friedrich IV]] suddenly died in November {{d|796|uc}}, Marquis Littenheim's fourteen-year old daughter, [[Sabine von Littenheim]], became a contender for the throne. However, the acting Imperial prime minister [[Klaus von Lichtenlade]] used his authority as the head of the government and the holder of the [[Imperial Seal]] to name the son of the Friedrich's deceased heir, Crown Prince [[Ludwig]], the next emperor [[Erwin Josef II]]. He wanted to prevent Braunschweig or Littenheim from usurping the power he enjoyed and made an alliance with Reinhard von Lohengramm, who was then a {{rank|imperial|fleet admiral}}, to keep the high nobles in check. Refusing to give up, Marquis Littenheim allied himself with the Braunschweig family, who had supported the Duke Otto von Braunschweig's own daughter, [[Elisabeth von Braunschweig]], for the throne. As tensions increased it became clear that the situation was deteriorating towards civil war between the Lohengramm–Lichtenlade axis and the new [[Lippstadt League|Braunschweig–Littenheim alliance]], which had the support of the majority of the high nobility. A group of nearly four thousand nobles met at Braunschweig's estate in Lippstadt forest where they formed a coalition rivaling Lohengramm, with Littenheim becoming its deputy leader. ({{logh|016|018}})<br />
<br />
A failed assassination attempt on Lohengramm by one of Duke Braunschweig's subordinates set off a chain of events that forced Littenheim and the other nobles to abandon the [[Imperial City]]. Although some of them were caught in orbit of [[Odin]] by a [[Wahlen Fleet|fleet]] under {{rank|imperial|admiral}} [[August Samuel Wahlen]], Littenheim was among those who escaped. The Marquis met up with the rest of the Lippstadt forces at their main base of [[Geiersburg Fortress]], where he was granted the rank of {{rank|imperial|high admiral|lc}} in their Allied Forces. As the [[Imperial Civil War]] broke out, Duke Braunschweig allowed Marquis Littenheim to take a third of the Lippstadt forces ostensibly to regain control over rebellious frontier fiefs. Braunschweig's ulterior motive was to get Littenheim away from Geiersberg Fortress. Littenheim based his fleet at [[Garmisch Fortress]] but was defeated at the [[Battle of Kyffhäuser]] by [[Siegfried Kircheis]], largely due to his fleet's poor organization and lack of a unified command structure. He was killed in a bombing by a disgruntled subordinate at Garmisch Fortress. ({{logh|022}})<br />
<br />
==Personal life==<br />
It was a suppressed fact that the Marquis's daughter [[Sabine von Littenheim|Sabine]], as well as [[Elisabeth von Braunschweig]], had inherited a genetic disease via their mothers, who were sisters. Under the [[Inferior Genes Exclusion Act]], this would have made Sabine and Elisabeth ineligible for the throne, and would have disgraced both Duke Braunschweig and Marquis Littenheim. The Marquis in particular attempted to assassinate those that found out the truth, such as his relative, Count Herxheimer, who attempted to defect to the [[Free Planets Alliance]]. ({{ret|04}})<br />
<br />
==Appendices==<br />
===Appearances===<br />
<div class="appear"><br />
*{{logh}}<br />
**{{e|016}} (first appearance)<br />
**{{e|018}}<br />
**{{e|022}} (death)<br />
*{{duel}}<br />
**{{e|2|duel}}<br />
**{{e|3|duel}}<br />
**{{e|4|duel}}<br />
*{{hbshbl}}<br />
**{{e|8|hbshbl}}<br />
</div><br />
<br />
===Name variations===<br />
*'''Wilhelmi von Littenheim''' (<abbr title="LaserDisc">LD</abbr> subtitles)<br />
<br />
===Background information===<br />
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_(name) Wilhelm] is a German given name meaning "vehement protector", and the origin of the English name William. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Littenheim Littenheim] is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine in north-eastern France.<br />
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[[Category:Lippstadt League|Littenheim wilhelm von]]<br />
[[Category:Soldiers|Littenheim wilhelm von]]<br />
[[Category:Imperial citizens|Littenheim wilhelm von]]<br />
[[Category:Nobility|Littenheim wilhelm von]]</div>WalkerEmp