Chronology of the Terro-human Future History
"The only difference is that I can usually remember where I've read something in past history, but my future history I know without knowing how I know it."
— Edward Chalmers (H. Beam Piper), "Edge of the Knife"
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A work-in-progress chronological complilation of future historical events from the stories and novels of H. Beam Piper's Terro-human Future History.
Atomic Era (AE) Century
1st - 2nd - 3rd - 4th - 5th - 6th - 7th - 8th - 9th - 10th - 11th - 12th - 13th - 14th - 15th - 16th - 17th - 18th - 19th - 20th - 21st - 22nd - 23rd - 24th - 25th - 26th - 27th - 28th - 29th - 30th - 31st
"The Atomic Era (AE) is reckoned as beginning on 2 December, 1942, Christian Era (CE), with the first self-sustaining nuclear reactor, put into operation by Enrico Fermi at the University of Chicago. Unlike earlier dating-systems, it begins with a Year Zero — 2 December, 1942, to 1 December, 1943, CE. With allowances for December overlaps, 1943 CE is thus equal to the Year Zero AE, and 1944 CE to 1 AE, and each century accordingly begins with the 'double-zero' year, and ends with the ninety-nine year.
"Dates AE and CE are converted by adding or subtracting 1943; thus 1964 CE is 21 AE, and 1066 CE is reckoned as 877 PreAtomic (PA). Atomic Era dating did not become official until 2nd December, 2143, or 200 AE. The Gregorian calendar, with all defects, was adopted, merely setting back January 1st to December 2nd. It took about fifty years for everybody to agree to it, and some fanatical relgious sects opposed it to the end of Terran Federation history."*
— H. Beam Piper, "The Future History"
Illustration by Kelly Freas
|
The Early Federation era stretches from the First Century, A.E., prior to the establishment of the "First" Federation, through, somewhat arbitrarily, the mid-Seventh Century, A.E., when the "Second" Federation begins to enter a period of stagnation. The Atomic Era begins with the first self-sustaining nuclear fission reaction, on "the First Day of the Year Zero [December 2, 1942, C.E.], when Enrico Fermi put the first [nuclear reactor] into operation. . . ."[WC] "The Edge of the Knife," the first yarn in this era, "about a history professor, who got his past and his future confused, and had a lot of trouble as a result," takes place on the eve of the Thirty Days' War — the Third World War — and of the establishment of the "First Federation," a confederation of nation-states — created after the dissolution of the United Nations — which was victorious over another alliance of nation-states, the Eastern Axis, in the War.
The Northern Hemisphere, where most of the combatant nations were located, suffered extensive nuclear devastation during the Thirty Days' War. Many refugees from the Northern Hemisphere fled to the Southern Hemisphere while the First Federation seized control of Antarctica and resettled many of its own people there. Eventually, as mentioned in the third yarn of this era "When in the Course —," efforts began to reclaim the devastated areas of the Northern Hemisphere and to aid — or pacify — Northern Hemisphere survivors who had reverted to barbarism.
Settlement of Luna, which had begun before the Thirty Days' War, expanded. Within two decades of the War, the First Federation sent an expedition to Mars. As recounted in the second yarn of this era, "Omnilingual," the Cyrano Expedition discovered an extinct, ancient Martian civilization, the first evidence of extraterrestrial sapience. Subsequent exploration led to settlements on Mars, Venus, in the Asteroid Belt and on the moons of Jupiter.
The first worlds to be settled in the early Federation era were worlds within the Sol System itself which could be reached without faster-than-light travel.
With the advent of the faster-than-light Dillingham hyper-drive, the early Federation began to explore and settle worlds in other solar systems.
In the final years of this era, a joint Navy-Colonial Office expedtion seeking potential planets for colonization encounters the Svants of Svantovit in the yarn "Naudsonce."
|
AE (CE) Date |
1st Century AE (1943-2042 CE) |
|
0
|
Atomic Era begins with the first self-sustaining nuclear fission reaction. [HBP]
|
|
2
|
World War II ends; United Nations, precursor to the first Terran Federation, established. [HBP]
|
|
9
|
Origins of the Islamic Caliphate. [Ap]
|
|
28
|
Kilroy, first unmanned rocket, lands on Luna. [HBP]
|
|
c29
|
First base established on Luna. [HBP]
|
|
30
|
"The Edge of the Knife" (published May 1957). |
|
c31
|
United Nations collapses "owning to disputes as to national sovereignty over, and militarization of, Luna." [HBP]
|
|
32
|
World War III ("Thirty Days' War"). [HBP]
|
|
|
First Terran Federation formed. [HBP]
|
|
? |
Resettlement of Northern Hemisphere refugees in Antarctica begins.
|
|
53
|
"Omnilingual" (published February 1957).
First human expedition to Mars. "(Cyrano Expedition. Col. Hubert Penrose.)" [HBP]
|
|
c55-100
|
Further exploration of Mars, Venus, Asteroid Belt, and Moons of Jupiter. [HBP]
|
|
c60-105
|
First Terran Federation begins to crack under strains of colonial claims and counter-claims of member states; serious financial dislocations. [HBP]
|
|
? |
Terran Federation establishes colonies on Mars.
|
|
? |
Terran Federation establishes colonies on Venus.
|
|
92 |
Contragravity is developed. [HBP; JFC] |
|
? |
Nuclear-electric energy conversion, collapsed-matter shielding are developed. [HBP]
|
|
AE (CE) Date |
2nd Century AE (2043-2142 CE) |
|
c105
|
Colonial "claims and counter-claims of [Terran Federation] member states" sparks revolt of colonies on Mars and Venus. [HBP]
|
|
106
|
Fourth World War ("First Interplanetary War") begins. [HBP] |
|
109
|
Fourth World War ends. Complete devastation of Northern Hemisphere of Terra. [HBP]
|
|
114
|
Unspecified crisis in the first Terran Federation. [UU]
|
|
c119
|
Minor warfare following the Fourth World War comes to an end. [HBP] |
|
c127
|
South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Argentina and other nation-states reform (second) Terran Federation. [HBP; JFC says 183 AE]
|
|
? |
Wars of colonial pacification and consolidation; the new Terran Federation imposes a System-wide pax. [HBP] |
|
172
|
Keene-Gonzales-Dillingham Theory of Non-Einsteinian Relativity. [HBP] |
|
183
|
Dillingham hyperdrive developed. [HBP] |
|
192
|
First expedition to Alpha Centauri. [HBP; JFC mistakenly says 144 AE]
|
|
AE (CE) Date |
3rd Century AE (2143-2242 CE) |
|
200
|
Atomic Era dating adopted. [HBP]
|
|
? |
Interstellar exploration, colonization, and expansion begins. [HBP]
|
|
? |
Thor discovered, Thorans encountered.
|
|
? |
Loki discovered, Lokians encountered.
|
|
? |
Yggdrasil discovered, Khooghra encountered.
|
|
? |
"When in the Course —" (published in 1981)
Freya discovered, Freyans encountered, Freya Company chartered. [WC]
|
|
AE (CE) Date |
4th Century AE (2243-2342 CE) |
|
c350
|
Marduk settled.
|
|
c380
|
Fenris settled, Fenris Company chartered.
|
|
c390
|
Chartered Fenris Company goes bankrupt, most colonists evacuated.
|
|
AE (CE) Date |
5th Century AE (2343-2442 CE) |
|
c465
|
Loki Enslavements come to an end; mastermind Anton Gerrit escapes to Baldur.
|
|
c480
|
Four-Day Planet (published in 1961).
Anton Gerrit, leader of Loki enslavement, captured on Fenris; Kapstaad Chemical Products, Ltd., monopoly on Fenris tallow wax broken by Argentine Exotic Organics.
|
|
AE (CE) Date |
6th Century AE (2443-2542 CE) |
|
c500
|
Federation forces intervene on Fenris with nuclear weapons.
|
|
526
|
Uller Uprising (published in 1952).
Native revolt on Uller against Chartered Uller Company.
|
|
580
|
Jack Holloway is born.
|
|
AE (CE) Date |
7th Century AE (2543-2642 CE) |
|
629
|
Zarathustra is discovered and settled. [HBP; JFC; LF]
|
|
? |
Fafnir, Imhotep and Irminsul discovered by the Hubert Penrose expedition. [NS]
|
|
c650
|
"Naudsonce" (published January 1962).
Svantovit discovered, Svants encountered.
|
|
c650
|
Poictesme is discovered by Genji Gartner and settled. [GD; JFC says 603 AE] |
|
654
|
Little Fuzzy (published in 1962).
Terra-Baldur-Marduk Spacelines holds monopoly on travel to Zarathustra; Zarathustran Fuzzy sapience recognized; Zarathustra reclassified from Class III to Class IV world; Zarathustra Company charter revoked. [LF] |
Illustration by Herb Mott |
The later Federation era begins, somewhat arbitrarily, in the mid-Seventh Century, A.E., when the "Second" Federation begins to enter a period of stagnation and ends with the Eleventh Century, A.E., when the Terran Federation has "completely vanished."[FH] The first yarns of this era are the trilogy of novels — Little Fuzzy, Fuzzy Sapiens and Fuzzies and Other People — which describe a series of conflicts on the frontier planet Zarathustra sparked by the discovery of the native — or maybe not — "Fuzzies," disputes over their status as sapient non-Humans and the political and economic implications of the resolution of that dispute (in favour of the Fuzzies).
The next story of this period, "Oomphel in the Sky," is about a conflict between the religious beliefs of the population of sapient non-Humans on the frontier planet Kwannon, the economic interests of the charted company which exploits the natural resources of the planet (using the labour of the native Kwanns) and the political interests of the local colonial government.
In both of these later Federation era yarns, the Federation is not exploring or settling new planets. Instead, the conflicts are those between various groups — including native, sapient non-Humans — on already-settled planets.
The final yarn of this era, begun in "Graveyard of Dreams" and expanded upon in Junkyard Planet, takes place on the Federation world Poictesme and the other worlds of the trinary Gartner Trisystem where Poictesme is located. Focused primarily on the search for a fabled super — or "cosmic" — computer, the story unfolds into an emerging conflict between Poictesme (and similar planets of the Federation periphery) and the Federation itself that ultimately presages the end of the Federation two centuries in the future — in the early period of the Space Viking Era.
The Federation was no longer exploring and settling new worlds in the later Federation era. The stories of this era are focused on conflicts on settled worlds, whether with Indigenous sapient non-Humans, among competing groups of settlers on a world, or even with the Federation itself.
|
AE (CE) Date |
8th Century AE (2643-2742 CE) |
|
782
|
Foxx Travis born, aide to commander of Federation army elements on Kwannon during the native revolt there and commander of the Third Fleet-Army Force headquartered on Poictesme during the System States War. [JFC; JP; OS] |
|
AE (CE) Date |
9th Century AE (2743-2842 CE) |
|
812
|
"Oomphel in the Sky" (published November 1960).
Miles Gilbert and Foxx Travis thwart native revolt on Kwannon. [HBP; JFC]
Aditya discovered. [JFC; SS] |
|
839
|
Systems States Alliance secedes from Federation. [HBP] |
|
842-854
|
System States War. [HBP; JFC; JP] |
|
851
|
Federation forces destroy city of Kindelburg on Asmodai. [JP] |
|
854
|
Complete defeat of Alliance. [HBP; JFC; JP] |
|
855
|
Ten thousand refugees from Abigor and the remnants of the System States Alliance navy flee the Terran Federation and, ultimately, settle Excalibur, the first Sword-World. [HBP; JFC says 854; SV] |
|
c856
|
Franchard's Rise and Decline of the System States published. [EK] |
|
c871
|
Conn Maxwell born. [JP] |
|
894
|
"Graveyard of Dreams" (published February 1958).
Merlin, the fabled Federation battle computer, is discovered on Poictesme by Conn Maxwell. [JP; JFC] |
|
AE (CE) Date |
10th Century AE (2843-2942 CE) |
|
c905
|
Sword Worlds Joyeuse, Durendal and Flamberge colonized from Excalibur. [HBP; SV] |
|
c915
|
Odin, Marduk, Baldur, Aton, Isis, etc. (Isis? Osiris? Freya? Vishnu?) move toward various degrees of autonomy from Federation. [HBP; SV] Ambassador Guido Kayn, Federation Special Resident, declares himself President of independent Republic of Marduk. [SV; Ap] |
|
c930
|
Sword-World Haulteclere colonized from Joyeuse. [HBP; SV] (Morglay? Colada? Tizon?) |
|
c935
|
Monarchy established on Marduk. [SV] Eduarda Gelderen, Mayor of Malverton, overthrows Republic of Marduk government, declaring herself Custodian of Marduk, later Queen. [SV, Ap] |
|
c950
|
Aditya abandoned by (or secedes from) Federation. [SS] |
|
c955
|
Sword-World Gram colonized from Haulteclere. [HBP; SV] (Curtana? Quernbiter? Twelfth Sword-World?) [SS, SV] |
|
AE (CE) Date |
11th Century AE (2943-3042 CE) |
|
c1000
|
Interstellar Wars begin, a series of revolts and wars that lead to the collapse of the Terran Federation. [HBP, JFC, SV] |
Illustration by John Schoenherr
|
The Sword-Worlds are those twelve planets settled by the descendants of System States Alliance refugees who fled Terran Federation space with the remnants of the Alliance navy at the end of the System States War. The planets' "names were a roll-call of fabulous blades of Old Terran legend."[SS] Eventually, the Sword-Worlds gave rise to the Space Vikings who returned to raid the worlds of the Old Federation, the remnant of Terran Federation civilization which remained after a series of insurrections and conflicts known as the Interstellar Wars.
In Piper's novel Space Viking, the planet Excalibur is identified as the original Sword-World: "at the end of the Big War . . . [ten] thousand men and women on Abigor, refusing to surrender, had taken the remnant of the System States Alliance navy to space, seeking a world the Federation had never heard of and wouldn't find for a long time. That had been the world they had called Excalibur."
The grandchildren of those who had settled Excalibur went on to colonize the planets Joyeuse and Durendal and Flamberge. Additional Sword-Worlds were colonized in the next generation, including the planet Haulteclere, colonized from Joyeuse. Settlers from Haulteclere went on to colonize the planet Gram. Only four additional Sword-Worlds — Colada, Curtana, Morglay and Tizona — are mentioned by name in the novel. (An eleventh Sword-World, Quernbiter, is mentioned in Piper's novella "A Slave is a Slave," set in the time of the Galactic Empire which followed the Space Viking era. The name of the twelfth Sword-World remains unknown.) At the time of Space Viking, there are "three and a half billion [Sword-Worlders] spread out on twelve planets."
In "A Slave is a Slave," the Sword-Worlds are remembered as having been "settled by refugee rebels from the System States planets. Mostly they had been soldiers and spacemen; there had been many women with them, and many were skilled technicians, engineers, scientists. They had managed to carry off considerable equipment with them, and for three centuries they had lived in isolation, spreading over a dozen hitherto undiscovered planets." In Piper's later Empire-era yarn "Ministry of Disturbance," the historical Sword-Worlders are remembered as having "lived in isolation, spreading over a dozen hitherto undiscovered planets."[MD]
The Sword-Worlders, venturing from Space Viking base-planets like Dagon, Hoth, Jagannath, Nergal, Xochitl and Tanith — established in Space Viking, are not the only interstellar wayfarers in the Old Federation. The Old Federation may have fallen largely into barbarism but there remain nearly "a dozen and a half planets . . . that still have hyperdrive [and] which had maintained the culture of the Terran Federation uninterruptedly." Among these "civlized planets" are Marduk (which figures prominently in Space Viking), Aton, Baldur, Ishtar, Isis, Odin and Osiris. At least two other planets, Gilgamesh (home of an obscure religious sect) and Ithavoll (a former colony of Marduk) have managed to recover from the barbarism which engulfed the Old Federation.
|
AE (CE) Date |
12th Century AE (3043-3142 CE) |
|
c1100
|
Terran Federation completely vanished. [HBP]
|
|
1176
|
The last Federation President , Elisabet Stauber (of Terra), deposed by Admiral Odilon Soowert, Tyrant of Uller. [EK, SV, Ap] |
|
AE (CE) Date |
13th Century AE (3143-3242 CE) |
|
c1200
|
Interstellar Wars come to an end. [JFC; SV] |
|
AE (CE) Date |
14th Century AE (3243-3342 CE) |
|
1359
|
First Sword-World ship returns from voyage to Old Federation; Aditya occupied by Morglay. [SV; SS; JFC; HBP says approximately 1450 AE] |
|
AE (CE) Date |
15th Century AE (3343-3442 CE) |
|
c1450
|
First Sword-World ships enter Old Federation space-volume. [HBP; see 1359 AE] |
|
AE (CE) Date |
16th Century AE (3443-3542 CE) |
|
c1595
|
After an unsuccessful raid on Aton by six ships from Haulteclere, Space Vikings no longer raid "civilized worlds" in the Old Federation. [SV; JFC says 1503] |
|
AE (CE) Date |
17th Century AE (3543-3642 CE) |
|
c1600
|
Aditya in the Old Federation abandoned during dynastic war on Morglay. [SS] |
|
c1615
|
Skathi in the Old Federation is deserted by Space Vikings. [SV; JFC says 1473] |
|
c1650
|
Marduk-Odin "false war." [SV] |
|
c1665
|
During war between Aton and Baldur, the Planetary Nationalist Party takes power on Aton and forms a dictatorship. [SV; JFC says 1548 AE] |
|
AE (CE) Date |
18th Century AE (3643-3742 CE) |
|
c1716
|
Space Viking (published in 1962-63). Lucas Trask leaves Gram for Tanith in the Old Federation. [SV] |
|
c1723
|
Battle of Adhumla between Trask's nascent League and Dunnan's Space Vikings. [SV] |
|
c1725
|
With support from Haulteclere and Space Viking fleet from Xochitl, exiled Duke Omfray of Glaspyth attempts to overthrow King Angus of Gram. [SV]
Battle of Marduk between alliance of Trask's nascent League and loyalist Mardukan forces and Dunnan's Space Vikings and Makann's Mardukan usurpers. [SV] |
|
c1730
|
King Lucas of Tanith and Prince Simon of Marduk establish League of Civilized Worlds. [HBP; SV] |
|
AE (CE) Date |
19th Century AE (3743-3842 CE) |
|
c1880
|
House of Bentrick on Marduk dissolves League of Civilized Worlds and proclaims (first) Galactic Empire. [HBP; SS; JFC says 1848] |
|
AE (CE) Date |
20th Century AE (3843-3942 CE) |
|
1900
|
Imperial Era (IE) dating system begins; 20th Century AE corresponds to 1st Century IE. [HBP] |
|
c1980
|
Emperor Steven IV transfers capital of Galactic Empire from Marduk ot Odin. [HBP; JFC says 1936 AE] |
|
AE (CE) Date |
21st Century AE (3943-4042 CE) |
|
c2035
|
Sword Worlds added to the Galactic Empire. [FH; JFC says 1904 AE] |
|
AE (CE) Date |
22nd Century AE (4043-4142 CE) |
|
c2150
|
"A Slave is a Slave" (published April 1962). Aditya conquered by the Galactic Empire. [SS] |
|
AE (CE) Date |
23rd Century AE (4143-4242 CE) |
|
c2295
|
Rodrik VI completes consolidation of (first) Galactic Empire. [FH; JFC says 2162 AE] |
|
AE (CE) Date |
24th Century AE (4243-4342 CE) |
|
AE (CE) Date |
25th Century AE (4343-4442 CE) |
|
AE (CE) Date |
26th Century AE (4443-4542 CE) |
|
AE (CE) Date |
27th Century AE (4543-4642 CE) |
|
AE (CE) Date |
28th Century AE (4643-4742 CE) |
|
AE (CE) Date |
29th Century AE (4743-4842 CE) |
|
AE (CE) Date |
30th Century AE (4843-4942 CE) |
|
AE (CE) Date |
31st Century AE (4943-5042 CE) |
|
c3050
|
"Ministry of Disturbance" (published December 1958). Emperor Paul XXII and Prince Yorn Travann "undertake to arouse the Empire to new efforts". [JFC says 2936 AE] |
|
—
|
—
|
|
AE (CE) Date |
301st Century AE (31,943-32,042 CE) |
|
c30,050
|
"The Keeper" (published July 1957). Scholar/explorers at the height of the Fifth Galactic Empire discover that a glacial Terra was the birthplace of humanity. |
Other Chronologies
Mark Olson's Chronology (excerpt embedded in Olson's Concordance, 16 January 2000)
Mike McGuirk's Terro-human Future History Timeline.
David Johnson's Developer's Report: 2nd Century, Atomic Era (100 - 199 AE).
Notes:
* As real-world events unfolded (in particular the toppling of the Iraqi monarchy and execution of the grandson of the Sharifian Caliph), the Terro-human Future History diverged from actual history in approximately 15 AE (1958 CE) — after the publication of Uller Uprising (1952), "Omnilingual" (1957), "The Edge of the Knife" (1957), "The Keeper" (1957), "Graveyard of Dreams" (1958) and "Ministry of Disturbance" (1958).
Sources (in future historical order, with date of first publication):
EK: "The Edge of the Knife" (1957)
OL: "Omnilingual" (1957)
WC: "When in the Course —" (1981)
FDP: Four-Day Planet (1961)
UU: Uller Uprising (1952)
NS: "Naudsonce" (1962)
LF: Little Fuzzy (1962)
FS: Fuzzy Sapiens (1964; aka The Other Human Race)
FOP: Fuzzies and Other People (1984)
OS: "Oomphel in the Sky" (1960)
GD: "Graveyard of Dreams" (1958)
JP: Junkyard Planet (1963; aka The Cosmic Computer)
SV: Space Viking (1962)
SS: "A Slave is a Slave" (1962)
MD: "Ministry of Disturbance" (1958)
KP: "The Keeper" (1957)
Other sources:
Ap: Apocrypha — non-canonical material. See "Newton's Rule."
HBP: "The Future History," H. Beam Piper, in Zenith #4, May 1964 (fanzine, Peter Weston, ed.), pp. 11-14.
JFC: "Terro-human Future History Chronology," John F. Carr, in Empire (with a correction: "The First Interestellar expedition," John F. Carr, PIPER-L Mailing List, January 12, 2001, archive).
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