Inconstant Empire

The Inconstant Empire, referred to in official contexts as the Second Galactic Empire and commonly called the Sith Empire by its contemporaries, was a galaxy-spanning government that lasted from 537 ABY to 1845 ABY. The Empire was established in 537 ABY by Darth Therum, more commonly known as the First Emperor, who ruled from its inception to 552 ABY, when he was succeeded by his nephew, Darth Gaklaur. Therum was born as the heir to the throne of Onderon, and although he was a Sith through and through, his aristocratic upbringing showed in how he structured his Empire.

The Empire was highly stratified and class-based, with a complex and rigid caste system that ensured the dominance of the Sith ruling class. The notion of hereditary strength in the Force and the then-novel idea of organized conflict instead of the random violence present under the Rule of Two led to the Sith organizing themselves into seven Great Houses. These Houses, one of which continually held the Imperial Throne, consisted often of several cadet branches, with one having dominance, along with Sith recruited into the house from common backgrounds or Sith taken from another house. Each of these houses consisted usually of a few dozen Sith Lords, with up to three apprentices each, in addition to acolytes and house soldiers.

The Empire ruled most of the known galaxy for its 1200-year existence, and underwent a number of internal power struggles, but, in a change of pace from the previous centuries, faced no major threats from beyond. Indeed, other than the aforementioned civil wars between the Great Houses, little major conflict took place at all. Ultimately, the Empire would fall in 1845 ABY after Jedi Master Ranneth Vapasi led the resurgent Jedi Order to victory over the Imperial Military, although this victory was short-lived; within a year of the Empire's fall, Master Vapasi exiled many of his Jedi allies and declared himself Darth Vuusen, the new Emperor. He was in turn assassinated three years later and replaced by yet another Emperor- Sol Keteris, one of Vapasi's exiled students and founder of the Order of the Grey Knights, who preached moderation in all things (including moderation) and strode a fine line between the Dark Side and the Light Side.

The Empire's legacy to the galaxy was ultimately most prominent in its promotion of an aristocratic form of government (which would continue to trump more republican methods for the next two millenia after its fall) and the reformation of Sith doctrine to promote more organized conflict.