Robotnik's coup d'état

Robotnik's coup d'état was an event which occurred in 3225 on the planet Mobius following the end of the Great War. The coup took place in the city of Mobotropolis and was the beginning of the despot Dr. Ivo Robotnik's global takeover. The coup lasted a short time and resulted in the majority of the city's inhabitants captured and roboticized, although some managed to escape to the safety of Knothole.

Planning and Deceit
The planning for the coup took place years before it actually occurred. The Overlander Julian Kintobor had been taken in by the Kingdom of Acorn after fleeing from his own kind, who was planning to imprison him for conspiracy to commit murder on his own people. Once taken in, Julian became the assistant to the Acorn Kingdom's Warlord, Kodos, to assist him in defeating the Overlanders and help win the Great War. Kodos, who was also planning on launching a coup and taking control, offered Julian to join him. Instead, Julian knocked Kodos unconscious and threw him into the Zone of Silence. Following the "disappearance" of Kodos, Julian assumed the mantle of Warlord. From there, he began the construction of various machines and devices which ultimately allowed the Mobians to defeat the Overlanders in the Great War. (StH: #50, #72, #74)

Prior to the Great War's end, Julian had discovered the Roboticizer, a device created by Sir Charles Hedgehog in order to prolong the life of the sick and elderly. When Charles roboticized his brother due to an injury the latter received during a battle in the Great War, he discovered Jules lost his free will and that roboticization caused more problems than it solved. Thus, he decided to destroy the device and end his career as a scientist. However, Julian transferred the plans to the War Ministry and continued to study it. Eventually, this would become a fundamental part of his coup. (StH: #77, #78)

The Coup
Shortly after the end of the Great War, King Maximillian Acorn informed Warlord Julian that he was to dismantle the War Ministry immediately, as the king had made him the Minister of Science. Unbeknownst to King Max, Julian had other plans. By this point, Julian had developed the SWATbot model and had it in full production. That night, Julian gave his nephew Snively permission to deploy the SWATbots and begin the coup. Mobotropolis came under siege in several various locations simultaneously in order to prevent retaliation. King Max was soon brought before Julian, where Julian's schemes were finally revealed. Having renamed himself Dr. Ivo Robotnik, Julian demonstrated to King Max the roboticization process on several captured Mobians. Following this he proceeded to banish King Max into the Zone of Silence as he had with Kodos during the Great War. With the king now disposed of, Robotnik had his SWATbot army round up the remaining citizens of Mobotropolis and roboticized them. Approximatly ninety percent of the city's population was roboticized, while the rest managed to escape to the Great Forest. (StH: #43)

Aftermath
Robotnik's military coup had lasting global impacts and marked the beginning of Robotnik's ten year rule over the entire planet. Following his takeover of Mobotropolis, which he renamed Robotropolis - the main city of Robotnik's empire, the despot sent out his hordes of robotic armies to capture and roboticize other Mobians. Not long after taking Mobotropolis, Robotnik had even sent an army of SWATbots to his home city of Megapolis, only to discover it was completely abandoned. From the far off Kingdom of Mercia and Sand Blast City, to the wandering Lost Tribe of Echidnas, to the distant continent of Downunda, Robotnik managed to capture and roboticize Mobians all over the globe. From there, he placed various Lieutenants and regional dictators, such as the infamous High Sheriff and Crocbot, to ensure that any rebellious acts would be quelled. (StH: #58, #61, #62, #72, KtE: #11)