The term the Known Universe referred to the area of the universe that was explored and documented by humans. The vast majority of this space was claimed to be within the realm of the Padishah Emperors, who referred to themselves as Emperors of the Known Universe. The size of the known universe increased sporadically over history. The most significant growth in the universe charted by humankind came at two specific points: * when space folding was invented, and * when The Scattering occurred.