In 11,920 BBY, the Pius Dea-controlled Republic launched the Fourth Crusade against Hutt Space. Republic forces advanced from Centares through the northern approaches to Hutt territory, striking systems along the Pabol Hutta and expanding the Republic frontier.
A fourth war against the Hutts
The campaign targeted worlds including Sy Myrth, Saleucami, Boonta, Klatooine, and the Kossimur system.
By this period the Republic's crusading frontier had expanded as far as Delacrix, Nimban, Kwenn, and Toydaria.
The Pabol Hutta as invasion infrastructure
The Pabol Hutta provided a navigable corridor into northern Hutt Space. Routes established for exchange could carry fleets just as effectively as merchants.
Military geography followed existing transportation geography.
Expansion changes the frontier
Every conquered system moved the Republic's effective border outward and created new populations subject to Pius Dea administration.
The result was not only a larger map but a larger system of policing, religious pressure, taxation, and military obligation.
Anthropological assessment
The Fourth Crusade reveals how imperial expansion can become self-reinforcing. Earlier conquests create bases and routes that make later conquests easier, while each new campaign is justified as protection of territory captured by the last.
It also shows the interaction of religious ideology and material reward. Crusading promised spiritual merit, political status, territory, and plunder at the same time.
Sources and further reading
- Jason Fry with Paul R. Urquhart, Star Wars: The Essential Guide to Warfare, Del Rey, 2012.
- Fourth Pius Dea Crusade, Wookieepedia