The Great Titan War

Lore & Background

Before the walls, the Empire of Eldia ruled the world with an iron fist, utilizing the power of the Nine Titans to subjugate all other nations. However, as internal strife and external alliances began to fracture this dominance, the tide turned against them. The nation of Marley, once a vassal state, rose up in rebellion, aided by other oppressed countries desperate to break Eldian supremacy. This led to a brutal, prolonged war where the balance of power shifted dramatically as Marley successfully seized seven of the Nine Titans from the crumbling Eldian military.

In Their Own Story

The sky over the battlefield burned with the light of a thousand burning villages. Eldian soldiers, once confident in their god-like giants, now scrambled as Marleyan artillery tore through their ranks. In the royal tent, King Karl Fritz watched the smoke rise from his empire's capital, his face pale and unreadable. He held the crown that had once commanded armies, but he felt only the weight of a world drowning in blood. Outside, the roar of Titans clashed with the screams of men, but inside, silence reigned as the king made his choice. He would not send another soldier to die. Instead, he would build a cage for his people and let the world forget them, hoping that time might one day wash away the sins of their ancestors.

Reader's Guide

The Great Titan War represents the pivotal shift in global power dynamics within the Attack on Titan universe. For roughly a century, the Eldian Empire had maintained control over the continent through fear and the overwhelming military might of the Nine Titans. However, this dominance was not sustainable indefinitely. As other nations formed alliances against them and internal corruption weakened the royal family's grip, Marley emerged as a formidable adversary. Marley did not just defeat Eldia; they systematically dismantled its power structure by capturing four of the Nine Titans—the War Hammer, Beast, Cart, and Jaw—while the remaining five were lost or retreated. This loss forced the 145th King, Karl Fritz, to make a desperate strategic withdrawal. He moved the royal family and loyal subjects to Paradis Island, using the Founding Titan's coordinate ability to construct the three walls: Maria, Rose, and Sina. The war effectively ended with this isolationist policy, but it did not resolve the underlying hatred. The world outside continued to view Eldians as devils, while the people inside the walls lived in ignorance of their history. This deception set the stage for the events of the main story, where the cycle of revenge and the truth of the Titans' origins would eventually shatter the peace that Karl Fritz tried to enforce.

Did You Know?

• The war lasted approximately one hundred years before King Karl Fritz's retreat.
• Marley successfully captured seven of the Nine Titans during this conflict, leaving only the Founding and Attack Titans on Paradis Island.
• King Karl Fritz used the Founding Titan to create the Walls as a defensive barrier rather than an offensive weapon.
• The conflict is often referred to in historical records simply as 'the war that ended the Empire'.