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The
Klingon nation, founded some 1,500 years ago by Kahless the Unforgettable, who
first united the Klingon people by killing the tyrant, Molor. First contact between
the Klingon Empire and the Federation took place in 2218, a disastrous event that led
to nearly a century of hostilities between the two powers. In 2267 negotiations
between the Federation and the Klingon Empire were on the verge of breaking
down. The Klingons had issued an ultimatum to the Federation to withdraw from disputed areas claimed by both
the Federation and the Klingon Empire or face war. The hostilities
came to a head at planet Organia, the only class-M planet in the area. Unknown
to either combatant, the Organians were incredibly advanced noncorporeal life-forms
who imposed the Organian Peace Treaty on both parties, thus effectively ending
armed hostilities. The Klingons entered into a brief alliance with the Romulan Star Empire around 2268, when an agreement between
the two powers resulted in the sharing of military technology and spacecraft designs,
providing the Romulans with Klingon battle cruisers. By the mid-2280s, Klingons
were using ships described as birds-of-prey (traditionally a Romulan term) that
were equipped with cloaking devices. Early talks between the Federation and the Klingon Empire took place at the Korvat
colony in 2289. While no major breakthrough resulted, some small progress was
made when Federation negotiator Curzon Dax earned the respect of his Klingon colleagues.
A new chapter in relations between the Klingons and the Federation was opened in 2293 when a catastrophic explosion
on Praxis caused serious environmental damage to the Homeworld. In the economic
disarray that followed, Klingon chancellor Gorkon, leader of the High Council,
found that his empire could no longer afford its massive military forces. Gorkon
therefore launched a peace initiative, offering to end some 70 years of hostilities
with the Federation. Just prior to a major peace conference, Gorkon
was murdered by Federation and Klingon interests who sought to maintain the
status quo. Gorkon's successor, his daughter, Azetbur, continued her father's
work, and successfully concluded the Khitomer accords with the Federation later that year, ending nearly a century of hostilities.
The Klingon High Council was a hotbed of political intrigue that nearly plunged
the Empire into civil war in 2367 when council leader K'mpec died of poison. This
murder, viewed as a killing without honor under Klingon tradition, triggered a
bitter struggle to determine K'mpec's successor. K'mpec had taken the unorthodox
precaution of appointing a non-Klingon, Jean-Luc Picard, as his Arbiter of Succession. Under
Picard's mediation, political newcomer Gowron emerged
as the sole candidate for council leader. Forces loyal to the powerful Duras family
unsuccessfully attempted to block Gowron, plunging the Empire into a brief, but
bitter Klingon civil war in early 2368. Though their nation was called an empire,
it had not been ruled by an emperor for more than three centuries. This situation
changed rather dramatically in 2369, when the clerics of Boreth produced a clone
of Kahless the Unforgettable. Although their initial claim that the clone was
the actual Kahless was quickly disproven, this clone was regarded as the rightful
heir to the throne and, with the support of High Council leader Gowron, was installed
as the ceremonial Emperor of the Klingon people. On stardate 49011, the Khitomer
peace treaty was dismissed when the Klingon Empire decided to attack the Cardassians because there was a rumor that the new leader
of Cardassia were in fact Changelings. The treaty was reinstated when it was found that
the Changeling infiltrator was in fact General Martok.
