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From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
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==History==
During the earliest history of Mankind, the God-[[Emperor]] was not seen as a divine figure but an enlightening figure that sought to bring the light of truth to Humanity in order to heal it from the works of false idols as well as demagogues. This became the basis of the entire [[Great Crusade]] as the armies of the Emperor sought to bring the [[Imperial Truth]] to all of Mankinds lost colonies. The noble goal was ultimately shattered during the turbulent times of the [[Horus Heresy]] when many of the Emperor's favoured sons namely the [[Primarch]]s themselves turned against him. Thus, began a war that became near mythical to the Imperium in later years as the Emperor's dreams were shattered. Despite horrific losses, the loyalists succeeded against the rebels but the victory cost cast the Emperor to an eternity imprisonment imprisoned within the [[Golden Throne]]. In the aftermath, the ideals of the Imperium had been shaken to its core with many seeking faith to mend the scars they had experienced. Furthermore, many now did not see the Emperor as a man but rather as a god that had sheltered as well as guided them. On a thousand worlds, cults began to form that preached that the Emperor was a divine figure which later turned into sects that warred against one another until only one remained. This became the '''Temple of the Saviour Emperor''' and was the One Faith that formed the [[Ministorum]]. In the years that followed, the Imperium became an empire dominated by faith and the rise of the Temple of the Saviour Emperor made it such a powerful force that it gained seats amongst the [[High Lords of Terra]]. Its power began to dominate all facets of the Imperium with the Ministorum's power being so great that only the [[Adeptus Astartes]] and the [[Adeptus Mechanicus]] being immune to its influence though this is attributed more to the fact that none were willing to enforce their submission.<sup>1</sup>
In the time that followed, the Ministorum became the ruling force within the Imperium that commanded armies as well as fleets of warships with the power to both make or unmake laws. As its power bloated, the [[Ecclesiarch]] began to impose high tithes on worlds that sparked open rebellion amongst such colonies. This forced the Ministorum to send out its enforcers the [[Frateris Templar]] to quell the rebellions which saw the governors burnt at the stake and entire planetary populations devastated for defying the Emperor's will. During this age, a powerful [[warp]] storm engulfed known space that isolated many worlds from one another which in turn descended into anarchy. The Ministorum's power grew even greater with their actions taking a toll on those few systems that were still able to be accessed. At this point, the Ministorum challenged the [[Adeptus Administratum]] with the deadlock between the two only ending with the rise of [[Goge Vandire]] with his rule later being known as the [[Reign of Blood]]. Thus, came the time of the [[Age of Apostasy]] that only ended when [[Sebastian Thor]] formed the [[Confederation of Light]] that was considered heretical by the Temple of the Saviour Emperor. Thor was able to work with both the Astartes and the Mechanicus in ending the tyranny of Vandire thus finally breaking the rule of the Temple of the Saviour Emperor. This saw six thousand years of rule by the cult being destroyed with the death of High Lord Vandire.<sup>1</sup>
