The Cataclysm is an event in Ivalice history mentioned several times in Final Fantasy Tactics. It was a catastrophic disaster that ruined kingdoms and killed many beings, though its exact nature is unknown. It is unknown when it took place or how long it endured, though it occurred less than 1200 years prior to Final Fantasy Tactics. The Cataclysm is mentioned by name in the Japanese version of Final Fantasy Tactics and in The War of the Lions. The term was absent from the original English translation, being interpreted instead as a variety of different disasters.