The following contains the notable or important events in the Empire of Man.[1a]
–1500 to –1: Prehistory
- –1500 -- Fleeing more powerful adversaries, agrarian Human tribes cross into the lands between the World's Edge and Grey Mountains.[2a]
- –1000 -- The ancestors of the founding tribes of the Empire arrive, bringing with them the knowledge of bronze and the wheel.[2a]
- –500 -- Humanity rises in the Old World. Numerous warlords, chieftains and petty kings war amongst themselves to establish realms in the northern Old World. Many tribes already live in the Steppes to the north and in the outer lands of the Chaos Wastes. Larger settlements are established along rivers and coastlines. Goblins, Beastmen, and other vile creatures prey upon these scattered tribes.[2a]
- –250 -- Dwarfs intensify trading with tribes of Men in the land to be known as the Empire. Men are poor craftsmen and learn comparatively slowly.[2a]
- –50 -- Artur, chief of Teutogens, discovers Fauschlag rock (later known as the Ulricsberg), and enlists the help of a Dwarf clan to tunnel up through the mountain and build a mighty fortress.[2a]
- -30 -- Sigmar is born to the chief of the Unberogen Tribe.[1a][2a]
- –20 -- Marius of the Jutones is defeated by the Teutogens and determines to lead his people to a new land. However, not all his folk are willing to leave their ancestral lands, which occupy parts of what would later become the provinces Nordland and Ostland. Marius leads the Jutones west and those who stay behind become known as the Was Jutones. Marius founds the new realm of Jutonsryk and becomes its first king. He begins a ten-year campaign to rid the Reik marshes of Mist Demons. In response to the influx of Jutones into the marshes, Marbad, the chieftain of the Endals already scratching out a living there, founds the settlement of Marburg on the Reik estuary. Here he discovers an ancient Elven blade and names it Ulfshard. It becomes his symbol of power, upon which he will later swear his allegiance to Sigmar.[2a]
- -15 -- A Dwarf trading convoy from Karaz-a-Karak is ambushed on its way to the Grey Mountains. Sigmar rescues Dwarf prisoners from the Orcs. Included among them is King Kurgan Ironbeard. Sigmar is given the magic hammer Ghal Maraz, or Skull Splitter, an ancient heirloom of the Dwarf King's family.[1a][2a]
- -8 -- Upon the death of his father, Sigmar becomes chief of the Unberogen tribe.[1a]
- -1 -- The Battle of Black Fire Pass. The united armies of Humans and Dwarf crush a Greenskin army and win the victory that makes the foundation of the Empire possible. Soon after, Dwarf artisans begin to travel to the Empire, where they are in demand. Humans and Dwarfs establish trade with each other and a measure of prosperity returns to the Dwarfen realms. An alliance of human tribes led by Sigmar and a Dwarf army under Kurgan Ironbear defeats a large Orc and Goblin army.[1a][2a]
1 to 999: The Time of Sigmar
- 1 -- Sigmar is crowned Emperor by the High Priest of Ulric.[1a][2a]
- 40 -- Talgris, son of Krugar, founds Talabheim.[2a]
- 50 -- After a half century of building and prosperity in the newly proclaimed Empire, Sigmar vanishes into the east. The system of Elector Counts is established whereby the provincial leaders elect one of their number to be Emperor.[1a][2a]
- 63 -- Wulcan, High Priest of Ulric, has a vision and builds a temple on a site in Middenheim, which starts a steady stream of pilgrims.[2a]
- 73 -- The spreading Cult of Sigmar the Patron God of the Empire receives its first Grand Theogonist Johann Helstrum.[1a][2a]
- c. 100 -- Emperor Heydrich is presented with the Runefangs by Alaric the Mad and he passes them to the Counts.[2a]
- 100 – 500 -- The electoral system is solidified, and the Cult of Sigmar becomes widespread, which leads to open conflict with the High Priest of Ulric.[2a]
- 113 -- The temple to Ulric at Middenheim is completed.[2a]
- 322 -- Emperor Hündrod the Furious slays Mascar the Great Dragon in the Drakwald.[2a]
- 400-900 -- "Drive to the Frontiers."[2a]
- 501 -- The army of Emperor Sigismund II defeats that of the King of the Jutones and adds the former lands of Jutonsryk to the province of Westerland.[2a]
- 555 -- To avoid Middenheim's complete secession from Empire, charter is granted.[2a]
- 632 -- First Norse raids on Marienburg.[2a]
- 765 -- The treaty at Athling of Traktatsey ends Norse raids on the growing settlement of Marienburg.[2a]
1000 to 1546: The Birth of Nations
- 1000 -- The birth of the Old World nations, start of a constant series of wars, and the fragmentation of Empire. Plague and civil disorder in the Empire make plans for colonising forest region impossible. Trappers and adventurers travel extensively along rivers as far as the headwaters of the Talabec. Imperial culture and authority are represented by missions of Taal and Rhya along major rivers, often at the sites of former Elven and Dwarfen settlements.[2a]
- 1010 -- Halflings are established in Stirland. Ludwig the Fat issues a royal charter to the Halflings of the Moot granting them administrative autonomy and an Imperial vote.[2a]
- 1053 – 1115 -- Reign of Boris the Incompetent; corruption is rife.[2a]
- 1102 -- Manaan is made patron deity of Marienburg.[2a]
- 1106 – 1110 -- An ever-increasing number of Chaos beasts appears in the Drakwald. Vilner, heir to the Drakwald throne, is slain. The Emperor places the Drakwald Runefang in the palace vaults until such time as he decides on a new heir.[2a]
- 1109 -- Norse raid Marienburg. Snorri Half-hand proclaims himself Jarl of Vestland. Counts of Westerland hold out in Rijker's Isle.[2a]
- 1111 -- The Black Plague arises and lasts until 1115, and almost nine-tenths of the human population of the Empire is wiped out. Skaven erupt to take advantage of the disaster. Many small settlements are abandoned due to falling populations and the depredations of the Skaven. In Sylvania the necromancer van Hel raises a huge Undead army from the bodies of the plague's victims and turns back the Skaven invaders. The bulk of Middenheim's populace avoids the plague due to strict isolation enforced by Graf Gunthar. Norse abandon Marienburg.[2a][2b]
- 1115 -- The Skaven start to systematically enslave the surviving Human settlements in the Empire. The death of Emperor Boris Goldgather from the Black Plague. His reign was noted for the corruption of Imperial officials, exorbitant taxes, and neglect of the Imperial army. No successor is elected during the ensuing anarchy.[2b]
- 1122 -- Count Mandred Ratslayer rallies support from the Elector Counts and leads a crusade against the Skaven.[2b]
- 1124 -- Mandred finally drives out the Skaven and is elected Emperor.[2b]
- 1152 -- Assassination of the Emperor Mandred. The Elector Counts cannot agree upon a successor and the Empire divides into self-governing provinces. War between Talabecland and Stirland as rival would-be Emperors vie for power.[1a][2b]
- 1153 – 1200 -- The villages of the Drakwald decline, as woods reclaim the land and settlements are overrun by Chaos beasts and Goblins.[2b]
- 1359 -- The Grand Duke of Stirland is elected Emperor in Nuln.[2b]
- 1360 -- Grand Duchess Ottilia of Talabecland declares herself Empress. A difference of opinion between Graf Heinrich and the High Priest of Ulric leads to the High Priest moving to Talabheim to support Ottilia. Defenceless Marienburg is sacked for the third time. Over the next few hundred years there are to be two Emperors, the elected Emperor and the reigning Count of Talabecland.[1a][2b]
- 1366 -- Tilean mercenaries begin to fight on both sides in civil wars that ravage the Empire.[2b]
- 1414 -- Nordland and Middenland sign an agreement to divide the contested lands of Drakwald, ending the dispute over Mandred's edict.[2b]
- c. 1450-1550 -- The Crusades against Araby.[1a]
1547 to 1999: The Age of Three Emperors
- 1547 -- Rapprochement between the High Priest of Ulric and Graf/Grand Duke Heinrich is achieved by the Cult accepting a vow of celibacy for all priests (to avoid the High Priest of Ulric founding a rival dynasty). The Count of Middenheim proclaims himself Emperor. There are now three Emperors. None of them commands much loyalty amongst the other provinces, and each effectively rules an independent state.[1a][2b]
- 1550 -- War erupts between Middenheim and Talabheim, Middenland becomes a separate province. Marienburg is seized by the Bretonnian army under the Duke de L'Anguille. The five-year occupation ends when an army under the Grand Duke of Middenland approaches the city.[2b]
- 1550 – 1978 -- The Empire steadily disintegrates, with an increase in the numbers of daemonologists, necromancers, and worshippers of the Chaos Gods.[2b]
- 1604 -- Count van Buik grants a seat on the Marienburg City Council to merchants and ship-owners, marking the beginning of democratic government in Marienburg.[2b]
- 1681 -- The Night of the Restless Dead. For one night throughout the Known World the dead stir and walk the land, sowing terror and confusion amongst the living. Entire villages and towns are overrun and destroyed before the night of terror ends.[2b]
- 1707 -- The Orc Warlord Gorbad Ironclaw invades the Empire through Black Fire Pass. Nuln is sacked and the Moot devastated. Solland is overrun and Eldred Count of Solland slain -- after this, Solland ceases to exist as a separate land. The Solland Runefang is captured by Orcs. Gorbad advances north along the Upper Reik. A large Imperial army under the Count of Wissenland is defeated at the Battle of Grunberg just south of Altdorf. Altdorf is besieged. The Emperor Sigismund (the remaining elected Emperor at this time) is killed by Orc wyverns during the siege but Altdorf holds out.[1a][2b]
- 1812 -- Middenlanders lay siege to Middenheim, repulsed with Dwarfen aid. The Undercity is sealed for all time.[2b]
- 1850 -- Norse raids along the Sea of Claws resume. Marienburg is sacked for the fourth and final time.[2b]
- 1979 -- Magritta of Marienburg is elected Emperor by the Elector Counts not otherwise claiming the crown for themselves. The Grand Theogonist of Sigmar refuses to acknowledge the appointment and the Imperial system is effectively ended. From now until the time of Magnus the Pious there are no more Emperors and the lands become increasingly divided. As individual cities look to their own government the mercantile Burgomeisters gain in power.[1a][2b]
- 1999 -- Mordheim is destroyed by a twin-tailed comet.[2b]
2000 to 2501: The New Millennium
- 2000 -- Old Worlders exploring westwards are prevented from entering Ulthuan by Elves.[2b]
- 2010 -- Wars of the Vampire Counts begin with devastation of Ostermark by Vlad von Carstein, the first of the notorious Vampire Counts of Sylvania. Undead armies rampage between Stirland and the northern border.[1a][2b]
- 2025 -- Vlad von Carstein is slain by Grand Master Kruger of the Knights of the White Wolf. Von Carstein returns a year later and Kruger's body is found at the base of Ulricsberg, drained of blood.[2b]
- 2051 -- Vlad von Carstein is slain at the Siege of Altdorf, and Isabella commits suicide rather than carry on in unlife without him. The Vampire Counts fight amongst themselves and their Undead army splinters into separate feuding forces.[2b]
- 2094 -- Konrad von Carstein emerges as the most powerful Vampire Count.[2b]
- 2111 -- The Count of Middenland, Luitprand II, has the entire town of Rotebach hanged for "Chaotic allegiance."[2b]
- 2132 – 2145 -- Mannfred von Carstein, the last and most cunning of the Vampire Counts, launches a surprise attack against the Empire when it is in the grip of a vicious civil war. He almost succeeds in capturing Altdorf, but is finally forced to retreat back to Sylvania by a combined army of Empire troops, Dwarfs, and High Elves. Determined to end the threat of the Vampire Counts once and for all, the various factions of the Empire unite and, along with their Dwarf and High Elf allies, scour the dark forests of Sylvania.[2b]
- 2145 -- The Battle of Hel Fen. Mannfred von Carstein, the last of the Vampire Counts of Sylvania, is destroyed along with his Undead hordes.[1a][2b]
- 2302 -- The Great War against Chaos begins as the forces of Chaos march across the Lynsk and lay siege of Praag. Praag falls in winter of 2302/2303.[1a][2b]
- 2303 -- Magnus the Pious meets and defeats the Chaos armies at the gates of Kislev.[1a][2b]
- 2304 -- Magnus the Pious of Nuln elected Emperor. Rebuilding of the Empire, Magnus establishes his court at Nuln. Teclis founds Colleges of Magic in Altdorf. Magnus creates the Articles of Imperial Wizardry, a set of laws and rules which all users of magical abilities within the Empire must obey on pain of death.[1a][2b]
- 2369 -- On the death of Magnus, the Empire passes not to his brother Gunthar von Bildhofen (having antagonised the Grand Theogonist), but to Count Leopold of Stirland.[2b]
- 2371 -- Gunthar von Bildhofen's granddaughter marries Boris Todbringer, and their son becomes the first Todbringer Graf of Middenheim.[2b]
- 2378 -- Marienburg's merchant fleets and militia conduct a highly successful campaign against the pirates.[2b]
- 2502 -- Accession of Karl Franz, the reigning Emperor.[1a]
- 2383 -- Children report visions of Shallya in a grove outside Pfeildorf. Some claim they can work miracles. Inquisitors from Nuln take a dim view and have the children burned. The sect survives and becomes the Order of the Children of the Dove.[2b]
- 2420 -- The Goblin Warlord Grom the Paunch leads a coalition of Orc and Goblin tribes into the World's Edge Mountains.[2b]
- 2424 -- After defeating the Dwarfs at the Battle of Iron Gate, Grom's army moves into the Empire. Much of the north and east is devastated and parts of Nuln are burnt to the ground. Grom leads his army to the sea where he builds a huge fleet and sails into the west, never to be seen again in the Old World.[2b]
- 2429: Marienburg secedes from the Empire after the Burgomeisters collude with Emperor Dieter IV to secure their independence in return for Marienburger gold. Dieter is deposed after the ensuing scandal. Wilhelm III takes the throne. The crown passes to the Elector Counts of Reikland. A daring trio of illusionists attached to a prestigious theatre company staying in the Imperial Palace in Altdorf make off with a fine selection of treasure from Emperor Wilhelm III’s collection. Wilhelm III orders a mass trial for wizards on charges of witchcraft and consorting with Chaos. The Battle of Grootscher Marsh is fought. Duke Frederik turns Tarhelm's Keep into a prison.[2b]
- 2448: Marienburg is flooded. The Vloedmuur defences are extended and the drainage system improved.[2b]
- 2449: In Marienburg, rioting spreads from the Suiddock throughout the city in response to anti-Labour Guild laws passed by the City Council.[2b]
2502 to Present Day: The Reign of Karl Franz
- 2502 -- Accession of Karl Franz, the reigning Emperor.[2b]
- 2515 -- The Beastlord Graktar destroys Gortsburg and Leitenbad, but loses the Battle of Helmgart.[2b]
- 2516 – 2517 -- The Beastlord Graktar is defeated in a challenge by Khazrak who embarks on a series of raids across Drakwald, sacking Jagerhausen, Immelscheld, and Arenburg.[2b]
- 2518 -- Boris Todbringer the Second purges Drakwald of Beastmen and personally takes the eye of Khazrak at the Battle of Elsterweld.[2b]
- 2519 -- Khazrak takes out Todbringer's right eye in an ambush outside Norderingen. The Count offers a 10,000-crown reward on Khazrak's head.[2b]
- 2521 – 2522 -- United by the Lord of the End Times, Archaon, marauders from the Chaos Wastes pour southwards in evergreater numbers. Luthor Huss discovers the youth Valten and claims he is Sigmar Reborn. Emperor Karl Franz convenes the Conclave of Light to discuss the growing threat from the north. Dubbed the Storm of Chaos, the northmen invasion sweeps through Kislev and into the Empire. Huss and Valten meet Karl Franz. The Emperor gifts Valten with Ghal-Maraz and dubs him the Champion of Sigmar, but retains rule of the Empire. Archaon is intent on defiling the Flame of Ulric in Middenheim. The combined forces of Middenland, Ostland, and Hochland slow the attack. A force led by Karl Franz containing Teclis and Valten drives the remnants of Archaon's force from Middenheim. Valten is grievously wounded in the fighting. After the defeat of the Chaos horde, the Empire is riven by a religious schism. Valten is initially found murdered in the Temple of Shallya, but his body disappears. It is claimed that he will return again when he is needed.[2b]
- 2522 -- The present day.[2b]
Canon Conflict
As of the End Times, the events of 2523 - 2522, aka "the Storm of Chaos" are no longer canon.