Winged Knight
Still just a crazy man with a wolf on his head
- Location
- Texas
So there's a statement that's been made in a few different parts of the Internet I frequent about Warhanmer 40,000. Specifically, it's about the Imperium. It is typically a complaint about the Imperium and how its existence gets in the way of the setting's themes about how it is a terrible, broken giant that is rotting away and in its rotting creates the worst of mankind. That this fact doesn't work with the Imperium being a message about how authoritarianism is ultimately self-defeating and creates most of its own problems.
Namely, it's the idea that the Imperium should be considered the most successful government to ever exist because it has lasted for over 10,000 years.
I have issues with this. My biggest is that I think there are many more qualifications for what makes a successful government than how long it has lasted. I would also argue the Imperium is less of a government outside of Segmentum Solar, which is the imperial core, and more tens of thousands of individual armies roving around extracting resources from the other Segmentums. A planet can go hundreds, sometimes even thousands, of years without any wider contact from the rest of the Imperium until dozens of ships show up in orbit with lots of guns demanding they pay their tithes.
But really, and this is the point of this essay, I would say that it is incorrect to look at the Imperium as a singular state that has existed whole and coterminous for over ten millennia. The Imperium has changed an incredible amount over its history, and I think a strong argument can be made that what is called "The Imperium" is really a number of successor states all taking the same name in order to maintain legitimacy.
I have included dates where I can for the eras presented, but some time periods don't have hard numbers so I was left with approximations. I apologize if that causes any frustration.
Let's get to it.
Great Crusade: 798.M30-005.M31
For simplicity's sake we're going to say this era begins with the unification of Terra. That's where we really get the beginning of the Imperium, with the signing of the Treaty of Mars to bring the Mechanicum on board. We get the creation of both the Primarchs and the Legions, as well as the Imperial Army. This era lasts for a bit over 200 years and sets the bones for everything that comes afterward. It's a time of rapid expansion, with much territory gained and a great deal of resources being funneled back to Segmentum Solar.
Perhaps most importantly comes the institution of the Adeptus Terra during this time, along with many of its various subordinate offices like the Adeptus Administratum, the Adeptus Astra Telepathica, and the Adeptus Arbites. These are administration/logistics, communication, and policing respectively. As well, there is the Adeptus Astronomica which works closely with the Astra Telepathica to ensure the Astronomicon remains working in good order.
This is also where we see the Council of Terra come into being, and while it did not have any military authority it was the overall governing body under the Emperor, who left it to administrate while he went off to work on the Webway Project. The Council of Terra was made up of heads of the divisions of the Adeptus Terra, who acted as representatives of their various offices.
Then comes the Horus Heresy and over the course of about ten years we see a massive shift in how the Imperium operates.
Post Crusade/Scouring: 015.M31-???.M31
At this point the galaxy might no longer be burning, but you can still smell the smoke. The Traitor Legions and their Imperial Army attachments are hounded all the way to the Eye of Terror, planets with traitor leanings that weren't already destroyed during the Heresy are decisively dealt with, and the Emperor is interred on the Golden Throne unable to communicate with any reliability with those around him. The surviving Primarchs, along with the newly formed Senatorum Imperialis rising from the ashes of the Council of Terra, are left to pick up the pieces of the Imperium.
The Mechanicum becomes the Adeptus Mechanicus, ceasing to be an autonomous allied empire and joined properly as a part of the Imperium. The Imperial Army is dissolved, split into the Astra Militarum and the Navis Imperialis. The Astartes Legions, as well, are broken up into thousands of smaller groupings called Chapters of roughly 1,000 Astartes each. We also see these military institutions placed under the purview of the Senatorum Imperialis as the title of Warmaster ceases to be an independent office after the betrayal of Horus. The creation of the Inquisition also occurs at this time, though it does not split into its various Ordos until much later.
These are massive shifts in the structure of the Imperium, and while there are similarities to what has come before the differences are stark enough that it's become essentially a successor state. This is especially true since we know the Imperium wasn't actually the end goal of the Emperor. It was supposed to be an interstitial stage, something to hold off the rest of the galaxy while he moved all the people he actually liked into the Webway to somehow become psychic gods like himself.
This will be the state of affairs for some time until we get to the War of the Beast.
War of the Beast and its Aftermath: 544.M32-646.M32
Before the War of the Beast the Imperium enjoys a reprieve from the constant warfare of the Great Crusade, the Horus Heresy, and the subsequent Scouring. This is where we see the Imperium settle properly into the shape of a galactic empire, solidifying gains over its territory and even bringing more worlds into the fold. The various surviving Primarchs die, disappear, or are incapacitated and the Senatorum Imperialis becomes the overall ruling body of the Imperium.
The Ecclesiarchy comes into existence during this time, various cults dedicated to worship of the Emperor either merging with or being stomped out by this rising power. It becomes the state religion, and joins the Adeptus Terra as the Adeptus Ministorum. The position of Ecclesiarch from this point on joins the Senatorum Imperialis as one of the High Lords.
This is, overall, a pretty good time for the Imperium. Most conflict is at its borders, with the occasional internal rebellion easily put down with minimal fuss. Then the orks come roaring in like a rock through a glass window to break everything,
Say what you will about the War of the Beast novel series, and there's much to critique, but at the very least a lot happens during the two years of the war. There is a massive ork offensive against the Imperium, including an invasion of the Sol system, which is only stopped at great cost. This is where we see the Inquisition split with the birth of the Ordo Xenos, with many more Ordos to come. The organization of the Deathwatch also comes into existence as a response to this war.
In the immediate aftermath of the War of the Beast we get the Beheading, where the Grand Master of the Officio Assassinorum assassinates his fellow High Lords in a vicious coup. He rules for a century as a singular tyrant, militarizing the already militant Imperium even further to ensure Terra would never again be under threat of invasion. He is eventually deposed in a bloody battle involving 400 Astartes and 100 Eversor Assassins, and new High Lords are put in place after fifty Chapter Masters of the Adeptus Astartes arrive on Terra to restore order.
Nova Terra Interregnum: Early M35-Late M35
The Nova Terra Interregnum is a huge event that doesn't have any novels set during it, but we have a fair amount of information all the same. The ruling council of the planet of Nova Terra rejects the authority of the Senatorum Imperialis and claims rulership of the entirety of Segmentum Pacificus. Why they do this is unknown, but it sparks several other conflicts like the Moirae Schism within the Adeptus Mechanicus and the Tellarite Rebellion.
This state of affairs goes on for over 900 years, with the majority of Segmentum Pacificus following the banner of Nova Terra. The various broken parts of the Imperium are locked for some time in a prolonged cold war with occasional flareups, until eventually the Nova Terra Interregnum ends with the Cataclysm of Souls. This is when the Ecclesiarchy attempts to bring the fractured elements of the Imperium together as a theocratic state with worship of the Emperor acting as a bridge to bring groups together across political divides.
Nova Terra's immediate response is rejection of the Ecclesiarchy and its teachings, which results in an enormous war of faith that brings many different factions together. This crusade breaks the power of Nova Terra and over the next few centuries the Imperium knits itself back together due in no small part because of the Ecclesiarchy's efforts. It is at this point that, while it was already mostly there, the Imperium properly settles as a theocracy on top of its other authoritarian elements.
The era of the Nova Terra Interregnum is, for all intents and purposes, a time of warring states where the Imperium's rule doesn't really extend much further than Segmentum Solar. Even outside Segmentum Pacificus there were rebellions popping up all over the place with different groups carving out their own pocket empires, and one can make an argument that the Imperium functionally didn't exist as a full galactic polity for a good chunk of M35. It takes quite some time for the Imperium to recover from this prolonged era of civil war, and just when it's back on its feet it stumbles into another one.
Age of Apostasy: Beginning of M36-Early M36
While Goge Vandire gets the most credit for this era, and believe me we'll get to him, it actually has its roots much earlier in M35 before it culminates completely in what will be known as the Age of Apostasy. Appropriately enough, it all begins with the Ecclesiarchy making a mess of things.
Attempting to get out from under the thumb of the Administratum, the Ecclesiarchy moves its base of operations from Terra to Ophelia VII in Segmentum Tempestus. This is for a few reasons, not least of which nepotism, but the separation allows the Ecclesiarchy to build up an impressive military force without the Administratum able to do much about it. 300 years after this move the Ecclesiarchy, at great expense, relocates back to Terra. At this point the Ecclesiarchy is incredibly wealthy from the tithes it had taken without Administratum oversight and incredibly powerful from the military it had built up around itself.
Into all this, as the Imperium is recovering from the Nova Terra Interregnum, comes Goge Vandire. He is the High Lord of the Administratum, and through political machinations and a great deal of assassination manages to also become the Ecclesiarch. This dual position gives him an absurd amount of control over the workings of the Imperium, and he uses it to purge both the Administratum and the Ecclesiarchy of anyone who might contest his rule.
What follows is a period of bloody unrest and comical mismanagement. Having achieved nigh infinite political power, Vandire's instability grows to equal heights. Billions die on numerous worlds as people follow insane decrees like melting ice caps of one planet and arresting all children under 12 years old on another. It is also during this time that it becomes an accepted practice for Imperial Navy officers to kill their superiors in order to speed along their own promotions.
All of this resulted in a great many people wanting Vandire dead. He was not without loyal bodyguards, however, and through deceit managed to convince a cult of devout Emperor worshippers called the Daughters of the Emperor to become his personal army. They are renamed the Brides of the Emperor and protect Vandire through several assassination attempts. They would also eventually be his end, as 70 years after Vandire rose to power the priest Sebastian Thor convinces the Brides of the Emperor to turn against him.
The Age of Apostasy actually continues a few decades beyond Vandire's death with the Plague of Unbelief. An apostate cardinal by the name of Bucharis manages to carve out an empire of around 1,000 worlds for himself thanks to warp storms cutting off most communication to his region of Segmentum Solar. He takes control of several military elements within this region of space, and might have made a go at Terra if he hadn't run afoul of the Space Wolves Chapter and a religious uprising within his own territory. He is eventually deposed and his worlds brought back into the Imperial fold.
Post Age of Apostasy: Mid M36-M41
This is an era of massive reforms to the Imperium's governing structures, as well as its ossification into what can be considered the modern Imperium before the formation of the Great Rift and the rebirth of Roboute Guilliman. Sebastian Thor, now named Ecclesiarch, creates the Holy Synod consisting of Adeptus Ministorum Cardinals. They, alongside a sister Synod on Ophelia VII, are there to disperse the Ecclesiarchy's overall power end prevent total centralization under a singular individual.
The Ecclesiarchy is also banned from holding "men at arms" in this era, though gets around that with creation of the Adeptus Sororitas from the dissolution of the Brides of the Emperor. The Ordo Hereticus of the Inquisition also comes into existence in response to the Age of Apostasy, creating the third and final Order Majoris branch alongside the Ordo Malleus and the Ordo Xenos. The Imperium recaptures a great deal of lost territory over the course of 1,000 years, once more solidifying itself as the premier galactic power before eventually overreaching and stretching itself too thin to actually maintain its holdings.
It is at this time the Imperium takes the shape it is arguably most known for throughout the existence of Warhammer 40,000 as a setting. The Administratum, Ecclesiarchy, Mechanicus, Inquisition, Astartes, Guard, and Navy are all about with their various subfactions. After a period of renewal we see the Imperium begin its slow decline, and while it will be engaged in several large conflicts none will shift the framework of the Imperium to such a wide degree like the eras already listed.
Until, of course, Chaos splits the galaxy in half.
Era Indomitus: 001.M42-Present
Abaddon finally wins a Black Crusade! 13th one is the charm, and all that.
With the violent emergence the Great Rift the galaxy is split asunder. Outside of a few isolated pockets the Imperium effectively loses half of its overall territory, and in the immediate aftermath the Astronomicon goes out entirely in an event that lasts between 33 days and several months known as the Noctis Aeterna. During this time the Imperium grinds to a halt and billions of lives are lost.
It is in the wreckage of this fallen empire that Roboute Guilliman, Primarch of the Ultramarines, is brought back to life after languishing at the cusp of death in stasis for over 10,000 years. He kills a great many Black Legion Astartes who had invaded Macragge, and then makes a beeline for Terra to both relieve it from a massive daemonic siege and to also take back his old job as Imperial Regent.
Guilliman goes on to enact a purge both the Senatorum Imperialis, as well as the general population, to solidify his rule of Terra. This involves at a later point a coup that he himself coaxes into existence with the help of the Grand Master of Assassins. Traitorous current and former High Lords are baited into working against Guilliman, who attempt to take control of Terra while Guilliman was away on the Indomitus Crusade. Guilliman, having anticipated this, works with the Grand Master of Assassins to have the conspirators killed after they reveal their hand calling in the Minotaurs Chapter for support.
Most, if not all, of the highest ranking members of the Senatorum Imperialis are now those Guilliman himself has chosen. At this point he is effectively the ruler of the Imperium, and has centralized a great deal of power around himself during his Indomitus Crusade to maintain the functioning of the state. He is helped in this matter by the Adeptus Custodes, who are no longer bound to Terra and with the Emperor's blessing are enacting Guilliman's will in bolstering the various Astartes Chapters.
The shape of the Imperium is radically different in this era, with so much territory lost and its leadership replaced and centralized around Guilliman. Dante might be named Regent of Imperium Nihilus, the half of the galaxy separated from the Astronomicon by the Great Rift, but that territory is effectively lawless considering the Imperium's extremely limited ability to project force and control. Maybe Lion El'Jonson, newly reawakened Primarch of the Dark Angels, can help Dante in getting things organized over there. I doubt it, but the possibility exists.
Conclusion
And there you have it. These are seven distinct eras of the Imperium's history where I believe a strong case can be made they are less a proper continuation of what has come before, but rather new states building atop the corpse of the previous one and keeping the name of "Imperium" in order to better legitimize their rule. Each is marked by massive shifts in the Imperium's governmental and territorial makeup, altering it in monumental ways compared to previous incarnations. There are similarities between eras, of course, but overall I feel each is unique enough to be considered its own beast.
I spent way too much time on this, and it's rough as hell, but with any luck you found some value in reading me ramble on for over 3,000 words. This was an itch in my brain that I just needed to scratch, and now it's finished. I hope you enjoyed it.
Namely, it's the idea that the Imperium should be considered the most successful government to ever exist because it has lasted for over 10,000 years.
I have issues with this. My biggest is that I think there are many more qualifications for what makes a successful government than how long it has lasted. I would also argue the Imperium is less of a government outside of Segmentum Solar, which is the imperial core, and more tens of thousands of individual armies roving around extracting resources from the other Segmentums. A planet can go hundreds, sometimes even thousands, of years without any wider contact from the rest of the Imperium until dozens of ships show up in orbit with lots of guns demanding they pay their tithes.
But really, and this is the point of this essay, I would say that it is incorrect to look at the Imperium as a singular state that has existed whole and coterminous for over ten millennia. The Imperium has changed an incredible amount over its history, and I think a strong argument can be made that what is called "The Imperium" is really a number of successor states all taking the same name in order to maintain legitimacy.
I have included dates where I can for the eras presented, but some time periods don't have hard numbers so I was left with approximations. I apologize if that causes any frustration.
Let's get to it.
Great Crusade: 798.M30-005.M31
For simplicity's sake we're going to say this era begins with the unification of Terra. That's where we really get the beginning of the Imperium, with the signing of the Treaty of Mars to bring the Mechanicum on board. We get the creation of both the Primarchs and the Legions, as well as the Imperial Army. This era lasts for a bit over 200 years and sets the bones for everything that comes afterward. It's a time of rapid expansion, with much territory gained and a great deal of resources being funneled back to Segmentum Solar.
Perhaps most importantly comes the institution of the Adeptus Terra during this time, along with many of its various subordinate offices like the Adeptus Administratum, the Adeptus Astra Telepathica, and the Adeptus Arbites. These are administration/logistics, communication, and policing respectively. As well, there is the Adeptus Astronomica which works closely with the Astra Telepathica to ensure the Astronomicon remains working in good order.
This is also where we see the Council of Terra come into being, and while it did not have any military authority it was the overall governing body under the Emperor, who left it to administrate while he went off to work on the Webway Project. The Council of Terra was made up of heads of the divisions of the Adeptus Terra, who acted as representatives of their various offices.
Then comes the Horus Heresy and over the course of about ten years we see a massive shift in how the Imperium operates.
Post Crusade/Scouring: 015.M31-???.M31
At this point the galaxy might no longer be burning, but you can still smell the smoke. The Traitor Legions and their Imperial Army attachments are hounded all the way to the Eye of Terror, planets with traitor leanings that weren't already destroyed during the Heresy are decisively dealt with, and the Emperor is interred on the Golden Throne unable to communicate with any reliability with those around him. The surviving Primarchs, along with the newly formed Senatorum Imperialis rising from the ashes of the Council of Terra, are left to pick up the pieces of the Imperium.
The Mechanicum becomes the Adeptus Mechanicus, ceasing to be an autonomous allied empire and joined properly as a part of the Imperium. The Imperial Army is dissolved, split into the Astra Militarum and the Navis Imperialis. The Astartes Legions, as well, are broken up into thousands of smaller groupings called Chapters of roughly 1,000 Astartes each. We also see these military institutions placed under the purview of the Senatorum Imperialis as the title of Warmaster ceases to be an independent office after the betrayal of Horus. The creation of the Inquisition also occurs at this time, though it does not split into its various Ordos until much later.
These are massive shifts in the structure of the Imperium, and while there are similarities to what has come before the differences are stark enough that it's become essentially a successor state. This is especially true since we know the Imperium wasn't actually the end goal of the Emperor. It was supposed to be an interstitial stage, something to hold off the rest of the galaxy while he moved all the people he actually liked into the Webway to somehow become psychic gods like himself.
This will be the state of affairs for some time until we get to the War of the Beast.
War of the Beast and its Aftermath: 544.M32-646.M32
Before the War of the Beast the Imperium enjoys a reprieve from the constant warfare of the Great Crusade, the Horus Heresy, and the subsequent Scouring. This is where we see the Imperium settle properly into the shape of a galactic empire, solidifying gains over its territory and even bringing more worlds into the fold. The various surviving Primarchs die, disappear, or are incapacitated and the Senatorum Imperialis becomes the overall ruling body of the Imperium.
The Ecclesiarchy comes into existence during this time, various cults dedicated to worship of the Emperor either merging with or being stomped out by this rising power. It becomes the state religion, and joins the Adeptus Terra as the Adeptus Ministorum. The position of Ecclesiarch from this point on joins the Senatorum Imperialis as one of the High Lords.
This is, overall, a pretty good time for the Imperium. Most conflict is at its borders, with the occasional internal rebellion easily put down with minimal fuss. Then the orks come roaring in like a rock through a glass window to break everything,
Say what you will about the War of the Beast novel series, and there's much to critique, but at the very least a lot happens during the two years of the war. There is a massive ork offensive against the Imperium, including an invasion of the Sol system, which is only stopped at great cost. This is where we see the Inquisition split with the birth of the Ordo Xenos, with many more Ordos to come. The organization of the Deathwatch also comes into existence as a response to this war.
In the immediate aftermath of the War of the Beast we get the Beheading, where the Grand Master of the Officio Assassinorum assassinates his fellow High Lords in a vicious coup. He rules for a century as a singular tyrant, militarizing the already militant Imperium even further to ensure Terra would never again be under threat of invasion. He is eventually deposed in a bloody battle involving 400 Astartes and 100 Eversor Assassins, and new High Lords are put in place after fifty Chapter Masters of the Adeptus Astartes arrive on Terra to restore order.
Nova Terra Interregnum: Early M35-Late M35
The Nova Terra Interregnum is a huge event that doesn't have any novels set during it, but we have a fair amount of information all the same. The ruling council of the planet of Nova Terra rejects the authority of the Senatorum Imperialis and claims rulership of the entirety of Segmentum Pacificus. Why they do this is unknown, but it sparks several other conflicts like the Moirae Schism within the Adeptus Mechanicus and the Tellarite Rebellion.
This state of affairs goes on for over 900 years, with the majority of Segmentum Pacificus following the banner of Nova Terra. The various broken parts of the Imperium are locked for some time in a prolonged cold war with occasional flareups, until eventually the Nova Terra Interregnum ends with the Cataclysm of Souls. This is when the Ecclesiarchy attempts to bring the fractured elements of the Imperium together as a theocratic state with worship of the Emperor acting as a bridge to bring groups together across political divides.
Nova Terra's immediate response is rejection of the Ecclesiarchy and its teachings, which results in an enormous war of faith that brings many different factions together. This crusade breaks the power of Nova Terra and over the next few centuries the Imperium knits itself back together due in no small part because of the Ecclesiarchy's efforts. It is at this point that, while it was already mostly there, the Imperium properly settles as a theocracy on top of its other authoritarian elements.
The era of the Nova Terra Interregnum is, for all intents and purposes, a time of warring states where the Imperium's rule doesn't really extend much further than Segmentum Solar. Even outside Segmentum Pacificus there were rebellions popping up all over the place with different groups carving out their own pocket empires, and one can make an argument that the Imperium functionally didn't exist as a full galactic polity for a good chunk of M35. It takes quite some time for the Imperium to recover from this prolonged era of civil war, and just when it's back on its feet it stumbles into another one.
Age of Apostasy: Beginning of M36-Early M36
While Goge Vandire gets the most credit for this era, and believe me we'll get to him, it actually has its roots much earlier in M35 before it culminates completely in what will be known as the Age of Apostasy. Appropriately enough, it all begins with the Ecclesiarchy making a mess of things.
Attempting to get out from under the thumb of the Administratum, the Ecclesiarchy moves its base of operations from Terra to Ophelia VII in Segmentum Tempestus. This is for a few reasons, not least of which nepotism, but the separation allows the Ecclesiarchy to build up an impressive military force without the Administratum able to do much about it. 300 years after this move the Ecclesiarchy, at great expense, relocates back to Terra. At this point the Ecclesiarchy is incredibly wealthy from the tithes it had taken without Administratum oversight and incredibly powerful from the military it had built up around itself.
Into all this, as the Imperium is recovering from the Nova Terra Interregnum, comes Goge Vandire. He is the High Lord of the Administratum, and through political machinations and a great deal of assassination manages to also become the Ecclesiarch. This dual position gives him an absurd amount of control over the workings of the Imperium, and he uses it to purge both the Administratum and the Ecclesiarchy of anyone who might contest his rule.
What follows is a period of bloody unrest and comical mismanagement. Having achieved nigh infinite political power, Vandire's instability grows to equal heights. Billions die on numerous worlds as people follow insane decrees like melting ice caps of one planet and arresting all children under 12 years old on another. It is also during this time that it becomes an accepted practice for Imperial Navy officers to kill their superiors in order to speed along their own promotions.
All of this resulted in a great many people wanting Vandire dead. He was not without loyal bodyguards, however, and through deceit managed to convince a cult of devout Emperor worshippers called the Daughters of the Emperor to become his personal army. They are renamed the Brides of the Emperor and protect Vandire through several assassination attempts. They would also eventually be his end, as 70 years after Vandire rose to power the priest Sebastian Thor convinces the Brides of the Emperor to turn against him.
The Age of Apostasy actually continues a few decades beyond Vandire's death with the Plague of Unbelief. An apostate cardinal by the name of Bucharis manages to carve out an empire of around 1,000 worlds for himself thanks to warp storms cutting off most communication to his region of Segmentum Solar. He takes control of several military elements within this region of space, and might have made a go at Terra if he hadn't run afoul of the Space Wolves Chapter and a religious uprising within his own territory. He is eventually deposed and his worlds brought back into the Imperial fold.
Post Age of Apostasy: Mid M36-M41
This is an era of massive reforms to the Imperium's governing structures, as well as its ossification into what can be considered the modern Imperium before the formation of the Great Rift and the rebirth of Roboute Guilliman. Sebastian Thor, now named Ecclesiarch, creates the Holy Synod consisting of Adeptus Ministorum Cardinals. They, alongside a sister Synod on Ophelia VII, are there to disperse the Ecclesiarchy's overall power end prevent total centralization under a singular individual.
The Ecclesiarchy is also banned from holding "men at arms" in this era, though gets around that with creation of the Adeptus Sororitas from the dissolution of the Brides of the Emperor. The Ordo Hereticus of the Inquisition also comes into existence in response to the Age of Apostasy, creating the third and final Order Majoris branch alongside the Ordo Malleus and the Ordo Xenos. The Imperium recaptures a great deal of lost territory over the course of 1,000 years, once more solidifying itself as the premier galactic power before eventually overreaching and stretching itself too thin to actually maintain its holdings.
It is at this time the Imperium takes the shape it is arguably most known for throughout the existence of Warhammer 40,000 as a setting. The Administratum, Ecclesiarchy, Mechanicus, Inquisition, Astartes, Guard, and Navy are all about with their various subfactions. After a period of renewal we see the Imperium begin its slow decline, and while it will be engaged in several large conflicts none will shift the framework of the Imperium to such a wide degree like the eras already listed.
Until, of course, Chaos splits the galaxy in half.
Era Indomitus: 001.M42-Present
Abaddon finally wins a Black Crusade! 13th one is the charm, and all that.
With the violent emergence the Great Rift the galaxy is split asunder. Outside of a few isolated pockets the Imperium effectively loses half of its overall territory, and in the immediate aftermath the Astronomicon goes out entirely in an event that lasts between 33 days and several months known as the Noctis Aeterna. During this time the Imperium grinds to a halt and billions of lives are lost.
It is in the wreckage of this fallen empire that Roboute Guilliman, Primarch of the Ultramarines, is brought back to life after languishing at the cusp of death in stasis for over 10,000 years. He kills a great many Black Legion Astartes who had invaded Macragge, and then makes a beeline for Terra to both relieve it from a massive daemonic siege and to also take back his old job as Imperial Regent.
Guilliman goes on to enact a purge both the Senatorum Imperialis, as well as the general population, to solidify his rule of Terra. This involves at a later point a coup that he himself coaxes into existence with the help of the Grand Master of Assassins. Traitorous current and former High Lords are baited into working against Guilliman, who attempt to take control of Terra while Guilliman was away on the Indomitus Crusade. Guilliman, having anticipated this, works with the Grand Master of Assassins to have the conspirators killed after they reveal their hand calling in the Minotaurs Chapter for support.
Most, if not all, of the highest ranking members of the Senatorum Imperialis are now those Guilliman himself has chosen. At this point he is effectively the ruler of the Imperium, and has centralized a great deal of power around himself during his Indomitus Crusade to maintain the functioning of the state. He is helped in this matter by the Adeptus Custodes, who are no longer bound to Terra and with the Emperor's blessing are enacting Guilliman's will in bolstering the various Astartes Chapters.
The shape of the Imperium is radically different in this era, with so much territory lost and its leadership replaced and centralized around Guilliman. Dante might be named Regent of Imperium Nihilus, the half of the galaxy separated from the Astronomicon by the Great Rift, but that territory is effectively lawless considering the Imperium's extremely limited ability to project force and control. Maybe Lion El'Jonson, newly reawakened Primarch of the Dark Angels, can help Dante in getting things organized over there. I doubt it, but the possibility exists.
Conclusion
And there you have it. These are seven distinct eras of the Imperium's history where I believe a strong case can be made they are less a proper continuation of what has come before, but rather new states building atop the corpse of the previous one and keeping the name of "Imperium" in order to better legitimize their rule. Each is marked by massive shifts in the Imperium's governmental and territorial makeup, altering it in monumental ways compared to previous incarnations. There are similarities between eras, of course, but overall I feel each is unique enough to be considered its own beast.
I spent way too much time on this, and it's rough as hell, but with any luck you found some value in reading me ramble on for over 3,000 words. This was an itch in my brain that I just needed to scratch, and now it's finished. I hope you enjoyed it.
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