Gilmer, who proclaimed himself Gilmer I, Emperor of the Galaxy, was an interstellar warlord. He is the only warlord ever to attack and sack Trantor successfully: Before his time, the imperial military was powerful enough to defeat all foreign and domestic enemies well before they reached the capital, and after his time Trantor was too impoverished to present an enticing target. The latter was true because Gilmer was far more interested in looting the capital of its riches than in governing either it or the empire over which he claimed sovereignty.