Ultramarines
This article is about the the Space Marines Chapter. For other uses of Ultramarines, see Ultramarines (disambiguation). |
The Ultramarines, originally known as the War-Born[50a], were the XIII Legion of the original twenty Space Marine Legions. This loyalist Legion was later re-organized and divided into Chapters according to the Codex Astartes. Their Primarch is Roboute Guilliman, whose leadership, not to mention his authorship of the Codex Astartes, were instrumental in humanity's survival following the Horus Heresy. Because their Primarch wrote the text that defines a Space Marine Chapter, the Ultramarines follow this Codex strictly; their only deviation being the recent formation of the Tyrannic War Veterans, comprised entirely of veterans of battles with the Tyranids. The Ultramarines are possibly the most important Imperial organization on the Eastern Fringe.
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Home Sector
The Ultramarines are unique in that, unlike their fellow chapters, they control an entire sub-sector of space, rather than a single planet. Collectively, these systems are known as the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar, with Macragge as its capital. Though the realm itself is divided into smaller sectors which are each in turn ruled by Tetrarchs that are appointed by Roboute Guilliman himself.[59k]
While the number of colonized worlds in this domain numbers in the hundreds, some of the most well-known planets of Ultramar include[1c]:
- Macragge: Capital of Ultramar/Chapter Planet
- Calth: Cavern World/Main Shipyard of Ultramar
- Espandor: Cardinal World
- Konor: Adeptus Mechanicus Forge World
- Parmenio: Training World
- Talassar: Ocean World
- Talasa Prime: Inquisition Fortress
- Laphis: Shrine World
- Ardium: Hive World
- The "Three Planets"
- Masali: Agri World
- Quintarn: Agri World
- Tarentus: Agri World
History
Early History
The Ultramarines, in the days before being reunited with their Primarch, were originally known as XIII Legion. The legion was created towards the end of the Unification Wars, developed from a gene-seed that was noted to be absent of mutation and with a high adaptability. The original recruits were drawn from from the sub-equatorial maglev clans of Panpocro, the war families of the Saragon Enclave, the Midafrik Hive Oligarchy and the anthropophagic tribes of the Caucasus Wastes. As varied in culture and origin as these groups were, they all had one factor in common; their violent and often bitter resistance to the later stages of Unification, a resistance broken ultimately in each case not by negotiated surrender but near annihilation, with in some situations little remaining save interned refugees and orphaned populations left by the savage conflicts which had brought these peoples to heel. The legion was created at such a late stage in the war that they have no recorded combat operations on Terra, instead being used for the first time for the liberation of the Solar System.[50b] During the Early Great Crusade, the Legion became known as the War-Born, referring to their disparate Terran origins that were all nonetheless forged through war.[50a]
They were one of the three Space Marine Legions to take part in the First Pacification of Luna, the first pitched battle of the Great Crusade.[39] Another major early campaign of the legion was putting down the Osiris Rebellion. By 833.M30, the strength of the legion had risen to 33,000, but its morale and pride was harmed as a result of heavy losses during the Osiris Rebellion.[50b]
The Youth of Roboute Guilliman
Like the other Primarchs, Roboute Guilliman was taken as an infant by the powers of Chaos, and removed to a far-flung world in an effort to prevent the coming Age of the Imperium. The infant Guilliman's capsule fell to earth on Macragge, where it was discovered by a group of noblemen hunting in the forest. Inside the capsule they found a child, surrounded by a glowing aura. He was taken back to Konor, one of the two Consuls who governed Macragge, who adopted the infant as his son and named him Roboute.[1h]
Roboute was a prodigy, growing fast in both body and intellect. By age ten, he had mastered every subject the wisest men of Macragge could teach him, and his insights into matters of history, philosophy, and science often stunned his elders. However, his greatest talents were as a military leader. These talents led his father to give him command of an expeditionary force to Illyrium, a mountainous region in the far north of Macragge, whose wild inhabitants had terrorized the civilized regions for years and successfully resisted every previous military campaign. Not only did Roboute fight a brilliant campaign but he also earned the respect of the wildmen who never again threatened the more civilised parts of Macragge. However, on his return to the capital Roboute found the city in chaos, as his father's co-Consul, Gallan, had attempted a coup. Gallan led a faction of Macragge's nobility who were used to enjoying their wealth and position at the expense of armies of slaves, and resented Konor's legislation favoring the common people, among whom he was immensely popular.[1h]
Approaching the city, Roboute and his soldiers saw the city in chaos, being sacked by mobs of Gallan's men, while the Consul House was under siege. Roboute left his men to restore order to the city, while he rushed to the Consul House and lifted the siege, only to find his father close to death, surrounded by his loyal bodyguards. He had been mortally wounded by an assassin in Gallan's employ, and with his dying breath, told Roboute who was responsible.[1h]
Roboute swiftly crushed the rebellion and, amid a wave of popular relief, assumed the title of sole Consul of Macragge. He set about punishing the treachery and carrying out his father's vision. Gallan and his co-conspirators were executed, and their lands and wealth were redistributed to the people. With superhuman energy, Roboute reorganized Macragge's entire social structure, creating a meritocracy where office and honours were given to the hard-working, rather than the wealthy and influential. Under his leadership, Macragge prospered as it never had before.[1h]
The Arrival of the Emperor
While Roboute was prosecuting his war against the Illyrian rebels, the Emperor of Mankind and his armies had reached the neighboring planet of Espandor. It was there that the Emperor heard stories of the extraordinary son of Consul Konor, and realized that he had found one of the lost Primarchs. However, due to an unexpected warp storm, his ship was thrown far off course and by the time it reached Macragge, Roboute had been ruling for almost five years.[1h]
When the Emperor reached Macragge, he found a world that was self sufficient, prosperous, with a strong and well-equipped military, and engaging in trade with nearby systems. Impressed, the Emperor assigned command of the Ultramarines Legion to Guilliman, and relocated the Legion's forward base to Macragge.[1h]
The Great Crusade
With the exception of the Luna Wolves, no Legion conquered as many worlds, or conquered worlds as fast, or left conquered worlds in such good state during the Great Crusade, as the Ultramarines. Guilliman restored the legion's morale and prestige following difficulties in the Osiris Rebellion and later took revenge on the Osirian Psybrids at the Battle of the Eurydice Terminal.[50b] Whenever Guilliman liberated a world, he would not move on until he had set up a self-sufficient defense system, and left advisors behind to create industry, set up trade routes with the rest of the Imperium, and form a government whose first concern would always be the well-being of the people[1h]. The success of the Ultramarines may be thanks to their diverse but stable gene-seed. In them was found a mixrure of aggression and restraint, discipline and determination which rendered them supremely suited for joint taskforce operations and cross-theatre warfare.[50b]
As Ultramar grew into a small stellar empire in its own right, Guilliman created a supremely efficient military machine, centered around Macragge, that provided the Ultramarines with a steady flow of new recruits. Between this factor, and the minimal casualties suffered as a result of Guilliman's tactical genius, the Ultramarines soon became the largest of all the Space Marine Legions[1h] — so large, in fact, that an organizational unit above the Company was required. The Ultramarines were thus organized into Chapters, numbering twenty-two just before the Battle of Calth.[Needs Citation] Rumors speculate that the size of the Ultramarines could only have been possible due to the fates of the Two Unknown Legions.[71]
At the time of the Horus Heresy, it is estimated that the Ultramarines Legion numbered around 250,000 Space Marines.[28]
The Horus Heresy
See main article — Notable Heresy Era Battles of the Ultramarines
Before Horus declared his treachery against the Emperor, he ordered the Ultramarines Legion to assemble for war in the Veridian System in Segmentum Tempestus far to the galactic south, claiming that the system was under attack by an Ork invasion force from the Ghaslakh Empire. Ultramar was close enough for an assault against Veridian, so Guilliman ordered his Legion to assemble in the Calth System.[Needs Citation]
Battle of Calth
As Guilliman and his fleets arrived at Calth, they knew something was wrong, because none of their Astropaths could get messages through the Warp and the storms were interfering with the navigation of their ships; they were blocked from the rest of the Imperium. It was at this moment that the traitor forces of the Word Bearers Legion attacked, rendering the Ultramarines unable to participate in much of the Battle of Terra. Simultaneously, the Word Bearers under Lorgar as well as the World Eaters attempted to cut off the rest of Ultramar from the greater Imperium in the Shadow Crusade.[41] The battle at Calth, though ultimately a victory for Guilliman, was devastating for the Ultramarines. Nearly 120,000 of the Legion's Space Marine were lost and another 28,000 rendered combat-incapable.[50c] This represented almost 60% of the Legion's Pre-Heresy strength of 250,000.[28]
Imperium Secundus
After the formation of the Ruinstorm, Guilliman feared Terra lost and used the Ultramarines and the realm of Macragge to create a new contingency empire known as Imperium Secundus.[43] Imperium Secundus faced a major test in the Battle of Sotha, where the Ultramarines and their fellow Astartes allies that had gathered fought off a force of Night Lords.[51]
Ultimately after a number of disasters, clashes between Guilliman, Sanguinius, and Lion El'Jonson, and a vision by Sanguinius that the Emperor was alive, Imperium Secundus was abolished. The three Primarch's led their Legions in an attempt to breach the Ruinstorm and reach Terra. Through an arduous journey, they eventually reached Davin, the nexus of the Ruinstorm, and engaged a vast Daemonic host. After the battle and the destruction of Davin, a way to Terra through the Ruinstorm was clear. However in their way stood many enemy blockades as Horus had foreseen this route. Sanguinius and the Blood Angels raced directly for Terra, as was their destiny, while Guilliman and Lion El'Jonson led the Ultramarines and Dark Angels in diversionary attacks against Horus' blockade.[67]
After the death of the Ruinstorm, Guilliman gathered whatever forces he could and made haste for Terra. In his path lay a large defensive chain of hundreds of worlds manned by the Iron Warriors. In a series of bitter engagements, both sides took heavy losses but the loyalists were able to maintain a steady advance.[60]
The Great Scouring
Guilliman was ultimately able to set course for Terra, destroying Chaos reinforcements along the way, but arrived after Horus had already been defeated, and the Traitor Legions scattered. Because of this, the Ultramarines were one of the few Legions at full strength in the aftermath of the Heresy; thus, Guilliman and his Ultramarines bore much of the burden of holding the Imperium together against aliens and Chaos forces. During this time, the Ultramarines recruited heavily from Ultramar and eventually counted for over half of the Loyalist Marines. Apart from leading his Ultramarines in countless battles across the Galaxy, Guilliman also accepted an extraordinary appointment as Lord Commander of the Imperium; with the Emperor crippled and Lord Malcador dead, it fell to Guilliman to re-organize the Council of Terra into a ruling body capable of running the Imperium without their sovereign.[Needs Citation]
Around a decade after the Heresy ended, the Imperium finally reached a point of stability[Needs Citation].
Creation of the Codex Astartes
After the Horus Heresy, Roboute Guilliman set himself to create the Codex Astartes, which would define the tactics and organization of all Space Marines, from battlefield strategies to squad markings. Most important of these changes was the division of the Legions into 1,000-strong Chapters. One of the Chapters would retain the heraldry of the original Legion, but the others would be given a new name and symbol. In doing so, Guilliman hoped to divide the power of the Space Marines to ensure that a civil war on the scale of the Heresy could never occur again.[Needs Citation]
This, however, caused dissention among the remaining Primarchs. Rogal Dorn, Vulkan and Leman Russ opposed the splitting of their legions while Guilliman himself was supported by Jaghatai Khan and Corax. Neither side was willing to relent and the controversy grew more intense, with Rogal Dorn calling Guilliman a coward for not having participated in the Siege of Terra, and Guilliman accusing Dorn of being a rebel for his refusal to follow the Codex. The situation threatened to bring the Imperium into another civil war. When the Imperial Fists strike cruiser Terrible Angel was fired upon by the Imperial Navy, Dorn finally relented and agreed to split his legion.[4a]
Duel on Eskrador
On Eskrador Alpharius, the Alpha Legion's primarch, was apparently taken by surprise when Guilliman departed from his own strictures and led a surprise assault by his elite units on the Alpha Legion headquarters. In the resulting personal combat between Alpharius and Guilliman, it is believed that Alpharius was killed. The Alpha Legion responded, not by breaking and fleeing as Guilliman expected, but by turning on the Ultramarine detachment and harrying them so mercilessly that by the time they had returned to the main body of the Ultramarine force their casualties were almost total. The Ultramarines were driven from the planet in the subsequent battle.[14]
The Iron Cage
Shortly after the Heresy, the Imperial Fists laid siege to the Iron Warriors' greatest construct, The Eternal Fortress. The Fortress consisted of over 20 square miles of bunkers, towers, minefields, trenches, razor wire, tank traps, redoubts and a system of complex underground tunnels in the shape of an eight pointed star. At the center was a massive bunker intended to serve as a decoy and of no value whatsoever. Guilliman advised his brother Dorn against the siege, but Dorn was embittered at having lost the debate over the Codex to Guilliman, and wished to vent his anger and frustration on his most bitter of rivals.[Needs Citation]
Hundreds of Imperial Fists littered the grounds of the fortress before Guilliman and the Ultramarine relief force arrived, three weeks and six days later. The Imperial Fists had fought without sleep and had long run out of ammunition before the Ultramarines found them. Perturabo, unable to hold against the two legions, made his final ploy, stopping the Imperial Fists to recover over four hundred of their dead and the gene seed they contained.[Needs Citation]Perturabo's victory was spoiled because of the intervention of the Ultramarines. However his sacrifice was great enough for him to be raised to Daemon Prince status.[12][13]
Thessala
Ultimately, Guilliman's rule over the Imperium would come to an end in the Battle of Thessala. There, he faced his traitorous brother Fulgrim in a fateful duel. Guilliman was mortally wounded during the battle and put into stasis thereafter by the Ultramarines, where he would remain for the next 10,000 years.[59a]
Recent Events
See main article — Notable Post Heresy Battles of the Ultramarines
Timeline
- 544.M32 — During the War of the Beast, Ultramar was attacked by Ork forces. Quintarn and Prandium are invaded. The Ultramarines were ultimately able to destroy an Ork Attack Moon over Calth and another over Tarentus. Later, Chapter Master Odaenathus was killed by The Beast during the invasion of Ullanor.
- 546.M32 — In the aftermath of The Beheading, Agnathio, Chapter Master of the Ultramarines, united over fifty other Chapter Masters and arrived on Terra to contain the anarchy which followed the incident. Putting an end to the political squabblings of who should succeed the High Lords of Terra, the Astartes sorted out the issues in a closed session of the Senatorum Imperialis. When they emerged, the new twelve High Lords had been chosen.[36a]
- M35 — Overthrow of the Obdurate Prince — The Ultramarines managed to destroy the heretic and his army of bandits and psykers. Space Marines of the Ultramarines Chapter used their own Librarians to home in on the Obdurate Prince’s psyker conclaves before sending in Terminator Squads of the Strike Force Ultra via teleportation. It was first major change in using composition of a Strike Force Ultra — all Space Marines were to be equipped with suits of Tactical Dreadnought Armour.[42a]
- 980.M35 — The Hrud Rising
- M36 - The Battle of Gerio against the Word Bearers[78]
- 538.M38 — The Ultramarines and White Scars save the Lamenters during the 9th Black Crusade.
- ???.M38 — The Justice-bringer Crusade
- M41 — The Ultramarines 4th Company under Uriel Ventris ends the civil war on Pavonis, defeating the pro-Tau Governor Mykola Shonai.
- M41 — The Altor Crusade
- M41 — Second War for Armageddon — The Ultramarines sent several companies to fight and reinforce the defenders of Armageddon against five tribes of orks united under Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka.[27]
- 143.M41 — The Jorun Retaliation
- 698.M41 — Corinthian Crusade -The Ultramarines led the Corinthian system to freedom from the Ork Warlord Skargor the Despoiler. With five other chapters of Asartes and over fifty Imperial Guard regiments it was Chapter Master Marneus Calgar who within three months pushed the Warlord back to the capital world and the fortress there. Imperial Guard gun batteries broke a breach in the wall which the Ultramarines stormed. Brother Amadon of the Ultramarines fell in that assault[17]. It was Ancient Galatan that heroically slew the Ork warlord. Galatan finally succumbed to his extensive wounds but did not allow the banner to fall, spurring the troops on to finally liberate the system. A statue of Galatan stands in the Fortess of Hera on Macragge in honour of his courage, skill and his unfaltering dedication to duty.[15d][10]
- 740.M41 — The Siege of Talwa
- 742.M41 — Operation Pluto — When the Damocles Gulf Crusade was launched, the Ultramarines pledged forces who fought under the theatre command of the Black Templars and Imperial General Wendell Gauge. It was during Operation Pluto on the Tau Planet of Dal'yth that the Ultramarines led other Marines of the Iron Hands and Scythes of the Emperor into battle within the forests of Gel'bryn. The strike force was intended as a third, mobile force that could breakthrough the enemy lines or outflank the Tau and break the other two battlefronts. Instead the Astartes were met by the Tau elite, piloting Crisis Battlesuits. The Marines held the forest against insurmountable odds, with new, fresh Tau reserves being deployed against the finite number of the crusade force. Whilst Operation Pluto itself was no great success, it allowed Gauge to initiate Operation Hydra which led into the final stages of the campaign. [19][20][5][4b]
- 745.M41 — The Battle for Macragge — The concluding battle of the First Tyrannic War that stopped Hive Fleet Behemoth on the Ultramarines' Homeworld of Macragge.
- M41 — The Battle for Orar's Sepulchre — The first battle fought by the bulk of the Chapter since the First Tyrannic War.
- 759.M41 — Scouring of Quintarn — Marneus Calgar take personal command of forces driving out Ork scavengers who had captured the Systems of Quintarn, Tarentus, and Masali in the aftermath of Hive Fleet Behemoth.[2b]
- 790.M41 — The Nimbosa Crusade
- 797.M41 — The Siege of Zalathras
- 805.M41 — The Ultramarines and the Imperial Guard defended Jorun's World from Warlord Gorklaw's Waaagh![46]
- 812.M41 — The Luxor Uprising
- 822.M41 — The Ironblood Campaign
- 855.M41 — Assault on Black Reach — the Ultramarines 2nd Company under the command of Captain Cato Sicarius and Scout Sergeant Torias Telion defeated the brutal Ork Waaagh! Zanzag on Black Reach.[1][Needs Citation]
- 861.M41 — The Battle of Arconar
- 879.M41 — The Battle of Knarts Landing
- 894.M41 — The Sanctarro Campaign
- 913.M41 — The Six Hour War. The Strike Force Ultra under the command of Severus Agemman banished the Tau force from the world of K’ail.[42c]
- 922.M41 — Battle of Andraxas — Tigurius leads an Ultramarines force to Andraxas to rescue Tech-Priests from an Ork invasion.
- 944.M41 — The Balur Crusade
- 945.M41 — Purging Hive Fleet Locust
- 946.M41 — The Battle of Eagle Gate — The Ultramarines battle a Chaos warband under Daemon Prince Kor Megron on the Shrine World of Eydolim.[36b]
- 963.M41 — The Battle of Malbede
- 969.M41 — The Invasion of Taladorn
- 971.M41 — The Fall of Malodrax
- 974.M41 — The Damnos Incident — On the resource rich planet of Damnos, Captain Cato Sicarius and Chief Librarian Varro Tigurius led an Ultramarine assault onto the planet against the recently risen menace known as the Necrons. Sicarius split the 2nd Company into three separate squads; he led one against the heart of the Necron force at Kellenport's Outer Walls. Upon landing Sicarius's team was surrounded by phalanxes to guard the Necron Lord. During the battle Sicarius fell, gravely wounded by the Lord's War Scythe but was rescued and was evacuated back to his Battle Cruiser to heal. Damnos was lost to the Necrons but due to the unstable reactor of the planet and thanks to a few Thunderhawk Gunships the reactor blew and took the Necrons and planet to their deaths.[1][Needs Citation][21]
- 982.M41 — 4th Company fought with Orks in the Gurun System.[66] (See also — Tiy Newman)
- 985.M41 — Skirmish on Burbeck's Asteroid
- 986.M41 — Dolman Chain campaign.[66]
- 990.M41 — The Battle of Ichar IV — At the beginning of the Second Tyrannic War, Ichar IV was infested with Genestealers. A genestealer cult, operating under the name, "the Brotherhood," instigated a rebellion on the planet that caught the attention of Inquisitor Agmar. The Inquisitor petitioned the Space Marine chapter, the Ultramarines, to help put down the rebellion. Marneus Calgar, chapter master of the Ultramarines, arrived 39 days later aboard the space marine battle barge, Octavius. Eventually, with the combined support of the Ultramarines, PDF forces and the Imperial Guard, the inquisition successfully destroyed the invasion and cleansed the planet of all Genestealers.[6b]
- 997.M41 — The Zeist Campaign
- 999.M41 — The Battle of Tarsis Ultra — the Ultramarines 4th Company were dispatched to the world of Tarsis Ultra to defend it against on of the two tendrils of Hive Fleet Leviathan. With help from the Mortifactors Chapter and several regiments of the Imperial Guard, the invasion was successfully repelled, though at great cost.[16]
- 999.M41 — The Second Battle of Damnos. Damnos is reclaimed by Cato Sicarius after the Necron Lord known as The Undying is destroyed.
- 854999.M41 — Invasion of Ultramar — Iron Warriors Warsmith Honsou assembles an enormous warband and invades the region of Ultramar, in league with the Daemon Prince M'kar. The entire Chapter must mobilize for war, to prevent Ultramar from being laid to waste.[18]
- 989999.M41 — The Liberation of Lagan
- 999.M41 — Thirteenth Black Crusade — the Ultramarines fielded the Ultramarines Honour Company.[37]
- 999.M41 — Siege of the Fenris System — the Ultramarines send forces to aid the Dark Angels-led coalition
- ~999.M41 — The Ultramar Campaign sees Belisarius Cawl and his Eldar allies resurrect Roboute Guilliman after ten thousand years. Guilliman immediately secures Ultramar before heading to Terra in the Terran Crusade. In the absence of Guilliman, Marneus Calgar is left to oversee the safety of Ultramar. Calgar secures many worlds from Chaos invasion. Meanwhile, Guilliman declares himself Lord Commander of the Imperium.[57] One of his first major acts as Lord Commander is to defend the Imperial Palace itself from the forces of Khorne in the Second Battle of Terra. Guilliman's new Primaris Space Marines battle alongside the Adeptus Custodes and Sisters of Silence.[61]
- ~999.M41 - ~100s.M42 — The Indomitus Crusade. Guilliman leads the reclamation of worlds from within the Dark Imperium.[59]
- 111.M42 — Battle of the Pit of Raukos. Ultramarines, thousand of Primaris Space Marines and many other armies of the Imperium fight against a force of Black Legion, Word Bearers and Iron Warriors.[59d][59e]
- 111.M42- — The Plague Wars. The forces of Nurgle begin to overrun the Realm of Ultramar. The Ultramarines once again fight for their homeland, this time with Primaris Space Marines.[58]
- 111.M42 — The Invasion of Konor. The Death Guard invade Ultramar's Konor System. Part of the Plague Wars.
- ~111.M42 — The Vengeance Campaigns — In the aftermath of the Plague Wars the Ultramarines and several of their successors, under the command of Marneus Calgar, lead a counter-invasion out of Ultramar against the forces of Nurgle and the Death Guard by attempting to cleanse areas such as the Tartella System that the Nurglites had recently added to their domain.
- ???.M42 — The War of Beasts. The Ultramarines Battle on Vigilus against Saim-Hann Eldar. Eventually Marneus Calgar himself arrives at the front and coordinates the entire loyalist war effort against invaders that now also include the Orks, Genestealers, Dark Eldar, and Chaos. The massive campaign is ongoing.[72]
- ???.M42 - Nemendghast Raid. Strike Force Shadowspear under Captain Acheran is lost destroying Black Legion Daemonic factories on Nemendghast in order to counter Chaos Daemon Engine production against Vigilus.
- ???.M42 — The Battle for Korvon II. The Ultramarines defend against a Death Guard invasion.
Undated
- Hagus Wars — a battle between the Ultramarines Second Company, led by Captain Cato Sicarius, and a Tau expansionary force. Ultramarines managed to victory.[47]
- Liberation of Graia — Captain Titus was instrumental in the liberation of the Forge World Graia. Leading an under-strength command squad, Titus single handedly slew the Ork Warboss Grimskull, whose forces were resolutely holding most of Graia. Titus also discovered a plot by the agents of chaos.[26]
- The Fall of Medusa V — Cato Sicarius was contacted by the Inquisition to defend the planet of Medusa V. A number of other chapters rallied to Sicarius's banner, and even the Lord Marshal Graf Harazahn of the Vostroyan Firstborn declared and led an Imperial Guard crusade against the multiple foes that assaulted the planet. However, in the end, Medusa V was lost.[Needs Citation]
- Torlamuda Gambit — Severus Agemman led the Strike Force Ultra to defend the Hive Torlarok.[42b]
- The Battle for Deshil
- The Battle for Ruhr III
- The Blood Storms
- "Last" Tyranic War[74]
Gene-seed
The gene-seed of the Ultramarines is highly regarded as one of the most stable, with only a ten percent chance of mutation[Needs Citation]. The Gene-seed is noted however for having a predisposed increase in aggression and a tendency towards cohesion and adaptation of hierarchy.[50b]
Successor Chapters
The Space Marine Chapters that split from the Ultramarines Legion are amongst the most celebrated Space Marine forces, specially those near the Realm of Ultramar. Most of these chapters closely follow the doctrines in the Codex Astartes.[30]
Primogenitor
The Ultramarines successors of the Second Founding maintain a far closer bond with the ultramarines than many other chapters, with many having their homeworlds in the Ultima Segmentum. But even the most distant Chapters send representatives to the Fortress of Hera, to confer with the Lord Macragge to coordinate the war across the entire Imperium. Many Space Marines of these chapters aspire to take a pilgrimage to the Shrine of the Primarch.[30]
Culture
The Ultramarines pride themselves on their strict adherence to the Codex Astartes, and view themselves as an exemplar for all other Space Marine Chapters. They believe - not without cause - that their Primarch's teachings have moulded the Adeptus Astartes, and the Imperium as a whole, in the aftermath of the Horus Heresy, and that it is their responsibility to continue to serve as this paragon.[17a][31] For this reason they are viewed as strait-laced and somewhat elitist by their brother chapters, from the more anarchic Space Wolves[34] to even their own successor chapters, such as the Mortifactors.[16a]
The chapter treats deviation from the Codex as a crime tantamount to heresy, punishable by a Death Oath — exile from the chapter on a suicidal mission to combat the forces of Chaos inside the Eye of Terror.[31][32] To the Ultramarines, the Codex is more than a set of rules, it represents discipline and respect for order, the key virtues that separate the Ultramarines and their brethren from the Traitor Legions. Disobeying the Codex, even for a noble cause, is simply the first step towards the belief that the ends justify the means, and from there to total anarchy.[31][17a]
The Ultramarines are also strongly influenced by their unique history as stewards of Ultramar and its human population. Guilliman founded a culture based on striving for the common good, and the Ultramarines are proud to uphold these beliefs. Where other Space Marines are aloof, and sometimes contemptuous of the Imperium's "lesser" mortals, most Ultramarines are used to working closely with "ordinary" people in Ultramar, and regard any human life, no matter how seemingly insignificant, as sacred and worthy of protection.[15a][15b][16a][18a][33] They are also harshly intolerant when they encounter less altruistic behavior - greed, selfishness, corruption - on other Imperial worlds.[15a][16b]
During the Invasion of Ultramar in 999.M41, Inquisitor Namira Suzaku of the Ordo Malleus noted that the people of Calth regarded her and her entourage with curiosity, but no visible apprehension; she remarked that it was the first world in the Imperium she had ever visited where people felt they had nothing to hide from the Inquisition.[18b]
Organisation
The Ultramarines follow the Codex Astartes in all matters of organization. Roughly two thirds of all Space Marines can trace their origins to the Ultramarines, and many still revere Roboute Guilliman as their creator[Needs Citation]. As well as a Boltgun, many Ultramarines carry a sword known as a Gladius.[22a] The Ultramarines Honour Guard wield formidable close combat weapons known as the Axes of Ultramar.[Needs Citation]
During the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy, the Ultramarines were a much larger Legion commanded by Roboute Guilliman. Beneath him were Chapter Masters who led approximately 10,000 warriors and a segment of the Legion fleet. Each Chapter was in turn divided into ten Companies of 1,000 under the command of a Captain.[50]
Chapter Disposition
As the paragon Codex chapter, the Ultramarines are divided into ten Companies of 100 Marines, as prescribed by the Codex Astartes. Each Company Captain is a hero of the Ultramarines, many of whom are also Masters of the Chapter, in charge of a particular aspect of the Chapter's logistics.[Needs Citation]
Headquarters
The headquarters staff as of the Age of the Dark Imperium are:[78a]
Chapter Command | ||||
Armoury | Apothecarion | Fleet Command | Librarius | Chaplaincy |
|
|
Companies
The current Companies and their Captains as of the Age of the Dark Imperium are as follows:[78a]:
Veteran Company | Battle Companies | |||
1st Company | 2nd Company | 3rd Company | 4th Company | 5th Company |
|
"Guardians of the Temple"
|
"Scourge of the Xenos"
|
"Defenders of Ultramar"
|
"Wardens of the Eastern Fringe"
|
Reserve Companies | Scout Company | |||
6th Company | 7th Company | 8th Company | 9th Company | 10th Company |
|
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Notes
- Light vehicles and transports (Rhinos, Land Speeders, etc.) are not included in this count; such vehicles are held in reserve by their parent Company and drawn upon as their mission requires.[1a]
- a: Normally, the Captain of the Fourth Company would hold the position of Master of the Fleet. Uriel Ventris bestowed his title upon Lord Admiral Lazlo Tiberius instead, whom he felt was better suited for the job.[15]
- b: How To Paint Space Marines lists a Captain Abraxxon as the Tenth Captain.[8a]
Ultramarines Honour Company
Because the Ultramarines Legion played little part in fighting the Warmaster's forces during the Horus Heresy, a number of Ultramarines Primogenitors Chapters contributed individual squads to a standing force near the Eye of Terror known as the Ultramarines Honour Company. Those that take this duty in the Cadian Gate are changed by the unknowable terrors. Many of these Space Marines go on to serve in the Deathwatch and are some of the most dedicated of their chapter's warriors.[30]
Fulminata
The Fulminata is a newly formed demi-Company of the Ultramarines formed entirely from Primaris Space Marines.[73]
Recruitment
The Ultramarines continue the tradition, begun by Guilliman, of recruiting from the worlds of Ultramar. There is rarely a shortage of volunteer Aspirants, since the Ultramarines are revered throughout the realm, and many families can boast of having sent several generations of their sons to serve the Chapter.[1i][15c][35]
Aspirants who survive training at one of the barrack institutions in Ultramar, human youths are inducted into the Chapter as Scouts, as the Codex dictates, before completing their transformation into full Space Marines.[1j]
Noted Elements of the Ultramarines
Relics
See main article — Ultramarines Armoury
Vessels
Star Forts
Battle Barges
In active service
- Macragge's Honour — Gloriana Class Battleship, flagship of Roboute Guilliman
- Seditio Opprimere — Battle Barge[9]
- Severian — Battle Barge[1a]
- Octavius — Battle Barge[1a]
- Spear of Macragge — Battle Barge[68]
- Adsidus — Battle Barge[9]
- Aeternus — Battle Barge[9]
- Mare Nostrum — Battle Barge
- Laurels of Victory - Flagship of Marneus Calgar
Destroyed or Retired
- Caesar — Battle Barge[1a], destroyed (details vary[6a][1d][18])
- Emperor Incarnatus — Battle Barge[9]
- Excelsior — Battle Barge, lost in the Warp in 977.M35[40]
- Fist of Macragge - Battleship, Heresy-era
- Gauntlet of Power — Battle Barge, Heresy-era and Post-Heresy[59a]
- Judicious Truth — Battle Barge, Heresy-era
- Lord Lamedon — Battle Barge[9]
- Pro Merito — Battle Barge; lost in the warp[Needs Citation]
- Rectitude — Heresy-era warship, destroyed
- Integritas — Heresy-era warship, destroyed
- Objective Truth — Heresy-era Warship, destroyed
- Samothrace — Battle Barge, Heresy-era
- Ultimus Mundi — Battleship, Heresy-era
Strike Cruisers
In active service
- Accipiter — Strike Cruiser[9]
- Fidelis — Strike Cruiser[9]
- Fist of Ultramar — Strike Cruiser
- Garra de Macragge — Strike Cruiser[1a]
- Internecio — Strike Cruiser[9]
- Iter Splendere — Strike Cruiser[9]
- Vae Victus — Strike Cruiser[1a]
- Valin's Revenge — Strike Cruiser[1a]
- Honour of Ultramar — Strike Cruiser
- Rex Aeterna — Strike Cruiser[63]
- Defence of Talassar — Strike Cruiser[64]
- Will of the Emperor — Strike Cruiser
- Primarch's Sword — Strike Cruiser
- Indefectible Vengeance — Strike Cruiser[65]
- Sword of Honour — Strike Cruiser[57]
- Righteous Fury — Strike Cruiser
- Emperor's Mercy — Strike Cruiser
Destroyed or Retired
- Emperor's Will — Strike Cruiser of Cato Sicarius, currently lost in the Warp.[62a]
- Cavascor — Strike Cruiser, Heresy-era
Aircraft
- Adriaticus — Overlord[59l]
- Guilliman's Arrow — Stormtalon Gunship[52]
- Jove — Overlord[59l]
- Masali Spear - Thunderhawk[56b]
- Scion of Ultramar — Overlord[59l]
Vehicles
- Eknomos - Rhino[56d]
- Flame of Illyrium - Land Raider Proteus[56c]
- Gladius II — Land Raider[62c]
- Heritor of Gage — Sicaran Battle Tank
- Invictus — Land Raider named in honor of Saul Invictus — Captain of the 1st Company[54]
- Ozirus - Land Raider[56d]
- Praxis - Rhino[56d]
- Sire of Calth — Spartan Assault Tank
Notable Members of the Ultramarines
NOTE — Only NOTABLE Ultramarines should be added below (officers, special characters, main characters of novels, etc.) Any other Ultramarines should be added HERE.
Heresy Era
- Roboute Guilliman — Primarch[3]
- Gren Vosotho — Lord Commander of the legion before reunification with Guilliman. Killed in the Osiris Rebellion
- Marius Gage — Chapter Master of the Ultramarines Legion's First Chapter (First Master of the Ultramarines).[25]
- Eikos Lamiad — Tetrarch of Konor[50a]
- Tauro Nicodemus — Tetrarch of Saramanth[50a]
- Eben Frain — Tetrarch of Occluda during the Great Crusade[50a]
- Valentus Dolor — Tetrarch of Occluda during the Horus Heresy
- Stolos Amyntas — Tetrarch of Iax[50a]
- Orfeo Cassandar — Legatus of Armatura
- Promus — Chief Librarian
- Phratus Auguston — 1st Chapter Master
- Verus Caspean — 2nd Chapter Master
- Atreus — 6th Chapter Master[56a]
- Klord Empion — 9th Chapter Master
- Arceas Odinathus — 10th Chapter Master
- Vared — 11th Chapter Master[56a]
- Banzor Evido — 16th Chapter Master[56a]
- Aecus Decimus — 17th Chapter Master
- Machon Phalaris — 22nd Chapter Master, killed by orks in the Great Crusade[56a]
- Eleon Iasus — 22nd Chapter Master[56a]
- Castor Alcade — Legate
- Drakus Gorod — Commander of the Suzerain Invictarus
- Titus Prayto — Librarian
- Casmir — Equerry to Phratus Auguston
- Lysimachus Cestus — Captain of the Seventh Company during the Horus Heresy. (dec.)[22b]
- Remus Ventanus — Captain of the 4th Company during the Horus Heresy. Lead the defence of Calth planet-side.[18][25]
- Adallus — 199th Company Captain
- Teus Sullus — 39th Company Captain
- Lyros Sydance — Captain
- Hektor — Captain
- Volusius — Chaplain
- Lucretius Corvo — Captain and later founder of the Novamarines
- Ptolemy — First and greatest Librarian of the Ultramarines, founded the Library of Ptolemy.[18]
- Tylos Rubio — Former Codicier, recruited by Nathaniel Garro on the orders of Malcador the Sigillite[24].
- Aeonid Thiel — Sergeant of the 135th Company. Marked for censure prior to the Defence of Calth for running theoretical scenarios on fighting Space Marines. Was later honoured for heroics during the battle by having the Red Helmet of Censure he wore become the symbol of Sergeant rank.[25a] After the Heresy, he became Captain of the 2nd Company.[59a]
- Kletos — Destroyer Marine
- Telemechrus — Dreadnought
- Marcellus — Deredeo Dreadnought
- Tyrennius — Contemptor Dreadnought
- Steloc Aethon — Captain
- Proximo Tarchon — Centurion
- Didacus Theron — Centurion
- Oberdeii — Scout, later founder of the Scythes of the Emperor.[55]
- Arrias Cordos — Went on to become the first Chapter Master of the Black Consuls
Post-Heresy
- Chapter Command:
- Roboute Guilliman — The recently reborn Primarch of the Ultramarines, who has become Lord Commander of the Imperium[57]
- Marneus Calgar — Chapter Master and Lord Macragge. 77th Chapter Master in the history of the Ultramarines.[7] Lord Defender of Greater Ultramar after Guilliman's return.[59j]
- Varro Tigurius — Current Chief Librarian, and is believed to be the strongest psyker in the Imperium[1a]
- Ortan Cassius — Master of Sanctity and veteran of the Battle of Macragge, and now leads the Tyrannic War Veterans into battle[1a]
- Lazlo Tiberius — Lord Admiral, Master of the Fleet
- Tigris Decon — Chapter Master during the Third Founding[55]
- Odaenathus — Chapter Master during the War of the Beast in M32
- Agnathio — Chapter Master during The Beheading in M32
- Ollonius — was the Chapter Master of the Ultramarines in early M36
- Vaniel — Chief Librarian during the War of the Beast in M32
- Maxellus — the twenty-first Chapter Master
- Captains:
- Calistes — Captain of some company in early M36.
- Garus — former Captain, now Venerable Dreadnought.
- Mikael Fabian
- Saul Invictus — Captain of the 1st Company during the Battle of Macragge (Dec.).[Needs Citation]
- Severus — Captain of the Second Company during its mission to Mithron.
- Severus Agemman — Captain of the First Company and current Regent of Ultramar.[1a]
- Cato Sicarius — Former Captain of the Second Company and commander of Imperial Forces during the Medusa V Schism[1a] Became commander of the Victrix Guard[59a]
- Acheran — Current Captain of the 2nd Company.[62a]
- Uriel Ventris — Captain of the Fourth Company, sent to fulfill a Death Oath for failing to follow Codex Astartes rules.[1a]
- Titus — Company Captain who fought during the Graia Invasion.[26]
- Macrinus — Captain during the War of the Beast.
- Agies — Captain of the 2nd Company in M38, later encased in Dreadnought.
- Andros — Captain of the First Company during the Battle of Thessala.[59a]
- Decimus Felix — Primaris Captain during the Indomitus Crusade.[59d]
- Diameos — Captain during the Indomitus Crusade.[59d]
- Demeter — Primaris Captain
- Anaton Thassarius
- Maximus Epathus - 6th Company Captain[7]
- Gerad Ixion - 7th Company Captain[7]
- Other Ranks:
- Altarion — Venerable Dreadnought[45]
- Antaro Chronus — Armoury, "The Spear of Macragge"[1d]
- Gaius — Chaplain. Took part in purging Orks from Sylphis II
- Galatan — Ancient and Bearer of the Banner of Macragge (Dec.)[15][10]
- Helveticus — Ancient and Bearer of the Banner of Macragge (Dec.)[7]
- Severus of Tarentus — Dreadnought
- Torias Telion — Scout Sergeant, unparalleled marksman.[29]
- Zalthus — Company Champion.[47]
- Selatonus — Venerable Dreadnought
- Macullus — Member of the Victrix Guard.[59d]
- Dibus — Member of the Victrix Guard.[59d]
- Andron Ney — Chapter Ancient.[59j]
- Cassian — Primaris Lieutenant
- Keritraeus — Primaris Librarian
- Dematris — Primaris Chaplain
- Pasanius Lysane — Sergeant
Unique Troops
- Tyrannic War Veterans
- Ultramarines Honour Guard
- Victrix Guard
- Fulmentarus (Heresy-era)
- Suzerain Invictarus (Heresy-era)
- Locutarus (Heresy-era)
- Evocati (Heresy-era)
Images
Rhino, Assault on Ikkyo, Last Tyranic War, Codex Pattern variant: Sub-tropical: Forested[74]
Camouflage pattern[75]
Related Articles
Related Publications
Sources
- 1: Codex: Space Marines (5th Edition)[Needs Citation]
- 2: Codex: Space Marines (3rd Edition)
- 3: Codex: Ultramarines (2nd Edition), pg. 9
- 4: Codex: Black Templars (4th Edition)
- 4a: pg. 6
- 4b: [Needs Citation]
- 5: Codex: Tau (3rd Edition), pgs. 58–60
- 6: Codex: Tyranids (5th Edition)
- 7: Chapter Approved 2001[Needs Citation]
- 8: How to Paint Space Marines
- 9: White Dwarf 288 (US), pg. 115
- 10: White Dwarf 264 pg. 47
- 11: Imperial Armour Volume Nine - The Badab War - Part One
- 12: Index Astartes II: Imperial Fists
- 13: Index Astartes I: Iron Warriors
- 14: Index Astartes IV: Alpha Legion
- 15: Nightbringer (Novel) — The Ultramarines Omnibus[Needs Citation]
- 16: Warriors of Ultramar (Novel) — The Ultramarines Omnibus[Needs Citation]
- 17: Courage and Honour (Novel)[Needs Citation]
- 17a: Chapter Three
- 18: The Chapter's Due (Novel)[Needs Citation]
- 18a: Chapter Eleven
- 18b: [Needs Citation]
- 19: Rogue Star (Novel)[Needs Citation]
- 20: Star of Damocles (Novel)[Needs Citation]
- 21: Fall of Damnos (Novel)[Needs Citation]
- 22: Battle for the Abyss (Novel)
- 23: Chapter War (Novel),[Needs Citation]
- 24: Garro: Oath of Moment (Audio Book), Track 13: The Oath
- 25: Know No Fear (Novel)[Needs Citation]
- 25a: Ushkul//Thu, Chapter Two, pg. 351
- 26: Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine (Video Game 2011)
- 27: Battle for Armageddon (Game)
- 28: Interview with Dan Abnett (7m40s)
- 29: http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?prodId=prod1500002
- 30: Deathwatch: Rites of Battle, pgs. 55–56
- 31: Consequences (Short Story)
- 32: Dead Sky, Black Sun (Novel) — The Ultramarines Omnibus, Chapter One
- 33: The Killing Ground (Novel), Chapter Eighteen
- 34: Battle of the Fang (Novel), Chapter Nineteen
- 35: Eye of Vengeance (Audio Book), Track 4
- 36: Warhammer 40,000 6th Edition Rulebook
- 37: WD286 pg. 66
- 38: Ultramarines - A Warhammer 40,000 Movie
- 39: The Horus Heresy Book One - Betrayal, pgs. 80–81
- 40: Codex: Chaos Daemons (6th Edition), pg. 21
- 41: Betrayer (Novel)[Needs Citation]
- 42: Dataslate: Space Marines Strike Force Ultra (Background Book)
- 43: The Unremembered Empire[Needs Citation]
- 44: The World Engine (Novel), Chapter 1
- 45: Iron Warrior (Novella), Chapter Two
- 46: Apocalypse Reload, pg. 76
- 47: Dataslate: Reclusiam Command Squad (Background Book) — Notable Reclusiam Command Squad
- 48: Codex: Space Marines (6th Edition) (E-Book Edition), pg. 102
- 49: White Dwarf 71 (2015) — The Demi-Company Virtus Invicta
- 50: The Horus Heresy Book Five
- 51: Pharos (Novel)[Needs Citation]
- 52: Warhammer: Visions 16, pg. 156
- 53: Helion Legion Terminators
- 54: Imperial Armour Volume Two - Space Marines and Forces of the Inquisition, pg. 11
- 55: The Aegidan Oath (Short Story)
- 56: Roboute Guilliman: Lord of Ultramar (Novel)
- 57: Gathering Storm: Rise of the Primarch, Part 1
- 58: Warhammer Community
- 59: Dark Imperium (Novel)
- 60: Slaves to Darkness (Novel), Chapters 1–3
- 61: Warhammer 40,000 8th Edition Rulebook, pg. 50
- 62: Codex: Space Marines (8th Edition)
- 63: Calgar's Fury (Novel), [Needs Citation] pg. 17
- 64: Cassius (Novel), Chapter One
- 65: Sons of Ultramar: Ultramarines Painting Guide, pg. 11
- 66: White Dwarf 97 (UK), pg. 42 - Index Astartes - Ultramarines
- 67: Ruinstorm (Novel)[Needs Citation]
- 68: A Brother's Confession (Short Story)
- 69: Sons of the Hydra (Novel), α The Serpent's Egg
- 70: Codex: Space Marines (7th Edition)[Needs Citation]
- 71: The First Heretic (Novel), Chapter 10
- 72: Warhammer Community
- 73: Blood of Iax (Novel), Chapter 1
- 74: Warhammer 40,000 Compendium, pg. 79
- 75: Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, pg. 172
- 76: Index Astartes - Emperor's Spears (Limited Edition) pg.13
- 77: Codex: Space Marines (8th Edition, 2nd Codex) pg.15
- 78: Codex Supplement: Ultramarines pg.17-18
- 78a: Chapter Organization
Uncited
- Warhammer 40,000 5th Edition Rulebook pg. 128
- White Dwarf #305 (US), pg. 87
- White Dwarf #256, pg. 89
- Insignium Astartes
- Index Astartes III
- Defenders of Ultramar (Graphic Novel)
- The First Heretic (Novel), [Needs Citation], pgs. 60–66.
- Savage Scars (Novel)
- Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Winter Assault
- Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate (PC game)
- Final Liberation: Warhammer Epic 40,000
Loyalist | I - Dark Angels · V - White Scars · VI- Space Wolves · VII- Imperial Fists · IX- Blood Angels X- Iron Hands · XIII- Ultramarines · XVIII- Salamanders · XIX- Raven Guard |
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Traitor | III- Emperor's Children · IV- Iron Warriors · VIII- Night Lords · XII- World Eaters · XIV- Death Guard XV- Thousand Sons · XVI- Luna Wolves/Sons of Horus · XVII- Word Bearers · XX- Alpha Legion |