Telmarine Conquest

The Telmarine Conquest was an enormous, semi-militant immigration and occupation by settlers of the abandoned colony of Telmar into the weakened Kingdom of Narnia in the Narnian-year 1998. The Conquest prompted the beginning of the Telmarine Age of Narnia. Although the Telmarine Conquest immediately pulled Narnia out of a Dark Age and established a new and stable monarchy, it also caused the exile of the Old Narnians and left them feeling oppressed and vengeful for centuries afterward.

Origins of the Conquest
The somewhat mysterious land of Telmar had once been an unruly colony of Calormen that during the Dark Age, was engulfed in domestic political dispute and at last suffered a terrible famine, forcing most of its inhabitants to abandon it. Because the three great countries of Archenland, Narnia, and Calormen were all battling through a related Dark Age at the time of the Telmarine society's demise, the Telmarines, a culturally militaristic people, realised that they could easily overpower the disorganised Talking beast Narnian military forces and restore the economy of the once-prosperous land of Narnia as well as allow their own people to recover from the great famine. Aslan said why the Telmarines invaded Narnia was "a long story".

Early Campaigns
After leaving the western land of Telmar, the Telmarines migrated east, over the Western Wild region and into the boundaries of Narnia. They did this by following the Great River, that began at the Garden of Youth, that continued at the Western Mountains, that came into Narnia at the Great Waterfall, and finally ended their exodus at the Old Narnian community of Beaversdam. Starting with the Siege of Beaversdam, Telmarines began to take control of the Narnian mainland. The group of defeated original Narnian natives were later deemed the "Old Narnians," who were chased out of the Telmarines' new human-only society. Old Narnians were first exiled from Beaversdam, which the Telmarines quickly developed into a lively city and claimed as their new capital.

The Calormene Connection
By this point, a Telmarine noble, Caspian, had surfaced as the popular military leader of the Telmarines. Without this commander, the Telmarines may have never survived their famine or been so bold as to attack the Kingdom of Narnia on their own. Caspian may have continued maintaining close ties to the Telmarine mother-country of Calormen and he was probably related to the royal family of the Tisroc. The Telmarines may have even been financially backed in their endeavours by the Calormene Empire, since Telmar had, after all, been a former colony of the Empire.

The Mainland Conquest
Soon, from their secured capital of Beaversdam, the Telmarines recuperated to allow Caspian to organise a crude army that would ensure the fall of the Narnian government.

It is unknown if the official Narnian government at the island of Cair Paravel (already in shambles as a result of the monarchical struggles throughout the Dark Age) had been warned to defend itself after the Telmarine invasion at Beaversdam.

Soon, Caspian operated a massive assault upon the crumbling Narnian capital by sending his troops to the Narnian castle by following the Great River directly to the targeted island. In the Battle of Cair Paravel, Telmarine invaders destroyed the Narnian palace and defeated the remnants of the basically defenseless Army of Narnia, which remained leaderless along with the nation itself. The Telmarines quickly took control of the country after the fall of Cair Paravel, separating the far north of Archenland from themselves and cutting off any ties to the Archenlandish government. Many talking beasts either abandoned their intellect or retreated to solitude and hiding, along with the centaurs, satyrs, and fauns, while the wood and water spirits fell into a deep sleep in their trees and waters, with some of the more fortunate dwarfs, who could pose as humans to the unaware Telmarines, intermarrying with Telmarine women. Aslan said why the Narnians couldn't defend themselves from the Telmarines, was "also a long story".

A New Age
The victorious Telmarines built the Castle of Caspian (completed or perhaps destroyed and rebuilt permanently by the time of Caspian VI's reign), far inland from the old capital of Cair Paravel and the threatening Great Eastern Ocean, which reminded them of the "uncivilised" Old Narnians whom they had defeated. This new castle was built at the Telmarines' new capital of Beaversdam, on the other side of the Great River.

The Telmarine leader Caspian was named "King Caspian I" and thus began the Telmarine Dynasty of Narnia, and the ensuing reign of the ten Caspians. The next generation of those Telmarines born in Narnia would be known by the exiled Old Narnians as "Telmarine-Narnians". The Telmarine Age of Narnia had begun.