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From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
→The Beheading
While [[Lord Commander of the Imperium]] [[Maximus Thane]] and the newly rechristened [[Imperial Fists]] swept away the last of [[The Beast]]'s [[Ork]]s Vangorich was left to oversee the ineffectual [[High Lords of Terra]] as Lord Protector. Vangorich was initially going to simply coerce the High Lords into working effectively as he had tried with [[Mesring]]. However when Vangorich learned that [[Fabricator-General]] [[Kubik]] had secretly teleporated the [[Ork]] capital of [[Ullanor]] instead of enacting [[Exterminatus]] as Thane had demanded in order to plunder their technology, Vangorich snapped. He realized that the High Lords would never put aside their personal ambition to protect Humanity. Faced with this depressing truth, Vangorich committed himself to destroying the High Lords and placing himself as ruler of the Imperium.{{Fn|10}}
Vangorich struck swiftly, eliminating all of the High Lords save [[Wienand]] in a single day. It is implied that he spared Wienand out of genuine romantic feelings for her. In a subsequent meeting of the lesser members of the [[Senatorum Imperialis]] Vangorich used lies and excuses to explain the absence of many of the High Lords while using impersonators to replace others. Few were moved by his excuses, but were too afraid to speak out and he easily created his own puppet cabinet of High Lords. The only opposition came from [[Esad Wire]], who tried to kill his former master. However Wire was bested in single cabinet and converted into an [[Eversor Assassin]].{{Fn|10}}
Vangorich ruled the Imperium for the next 100 years as a tyrant, but an effective one. Terra was refortified, the fourth [[Founding]] of [[Space Marine]]s was successful, and the armies of the Imperium rebuilt. The last vestiges of The Beasts hordes were swept aside. However after about 80 years of rule Vangorich began to become unstable. Unnecessary massacres, bizarre behavior, and random purges began to break out. Wienand, still working with Vangorich, knew the time for his fall was at hand. At the same time, Thane, still on Crusade, came to the same conclusion and made his move on Terra.
