The Bloody Centuries were a period of between two and three hundred years near the end of Barrayar's Time of Isolation. They were a time of battling between Counts and Emperors, with many colorful tales, such as the Saltpetre Plot and the war over horse manure. They were brought to an end by Emperor Dorca Vorbarra, who reunited the planet shortly before the Rediscovery of Barrayar by galactic civilization.