Imperium of Man
The Imperium of Man is the human galactic nation in the 40th millennium. It is nominally led by the god-like Emperor, although he has been incapacitated for the last 10,000 years, leaving a council formed of the High Lords of Terra to rule in his name. The Imperium is one of the largest and most powerful galactic empires ever, spanning at least 1 million worlds or more with untold billions of citizens.
Most Warhammer 40,000 material, including Dawn of War and its sequels, revolves around the Imperium and its military forces – especially the Space Marines, the Imperial Guard and the Sisters of Battle.
History
Excerpts
The Imperium of Man
- From Dawn of War II
Spanning the entire galaxy, the Imperium is the largest and mightiest dominion to ever hold sway over the stars. It rules over trillions upon trillions of men and women, living across millions of worlds.
But the Imperium's golden age is long past. The Imperium is now fragmented by internal strife and instability, and it is sorely pressed by the countless aliens who assail it.
The Emperor of Man
- From Dawn of War II
Ten thousand years ago, when humankind was on the very brink of destroying itself during the Age of Strife, the Emperor revealed himself. He created the Space Marines from his own genetic material and led them on the Great Crusade to unify the worlds of Man. This crusade forged the mighty Imperium of Man.
The Great Crusade was eventually halted by treason from within in a great civil war known as the Horus Heresy. The usurpers were thwarted, but the Emperor was mortally wounded in the final battle by his traitorous son, Horus, and is now only kept alive by the technology of the Golden Throne.
Most humans now worship the Emperor as a God. For the Space Marines, he is more akin to a living ideal – a father to emulate and obey.