Introduction
Clad in cerulean power armour and bearing the proud heraldry of a white omega, the Ultramarines stand as legends made flesh. They are the epitome of the Space Marine ideal – the Emperor’s Angels of Death wrought to perfection.
In the eyes of countless Imperial citizens and fellow warriors, no Chapter better embodies the duty, discipline, and honor of the Adeptus Astartes. For ten thousand years, the Ultramarines have remained a beacon of unwavering faith and martial excellence, guided always by the sacred words of the Codex Astartes.
The Chapter’s deeds shine as examples to all of Humanity. Their unshakable faith in the Emperor and strict adherence to doctrine have carried them through the deadliest wars. To witness an Ultramarine in battle is to behold the Emperor’s will in action – every bolter shot fired with purpose, every sword stroke measured and true.
They march to war with the cry “Courage and Honour!” upon their lips, exemplifying valor in service to the Imperium. In this chronicle, an Imperial remembrancer records how the Ultramarines’ history, culture, and unyielding legacy have made them the quintessential Space Marine Chapter, the standard by which all others are judged.
Origins and the Horus Heresy
The Ultramarines trace their origins to the latter days of the Great Crusade as the illustrious XIII Legion of Space Marines. Without their gene-sire for much of the Crusade, the Legion nevertheless forged a proud record. All changed when the Emperor finally found Roboute Guilliman on the civilized world of Macragge. There, the Primarch had already proven himself a genius leader by uniting Macragge’s people and establishing order.
Reunited with his Legion, Guilliman brought not only victory in war but also prosperity – he expanded the realm of Ultramar, a confederation of human worlds governed justly under his protection. The XIII Legion soon became known as the Ultramarines, named for their dominion and their superlative achievements as warriors and statesmen under Guilliman’s guidance.
During the dark days of the Horus Heresy, the Ultramarines were tested as never before. Cut off from Terra by the traitors’ machinations, Guilliman’s forces endured a treacherous assault by the Word Bearers Legion on Calth. Though suffering grievous losses in that surprise attack, the Ultramarines’ unbreakable discipline enabled them to regroup and ultimately drive the Chaos invaders from Ultramar.
Roboute Guilliman then led his Legion in a relentless counter-offensive – the Great Scouring – helping purge the traitor Legions from the Emperor’s realm after Horus’s downfall. By the Heresy’s end, the Ultramarines remained the largest loyalist force, their loyalty and organization intact. With the war won, Guilliman turned his attention to restoring the shattered Imperium, determined that such a nightmare would never occur again.
The Codex Astartes and the Reformation
In the turbulent aftermath of the Heresy, Roboute Guilliman enacted sweeping reforms to safeguard the future of the Imperium. Foremost among these was the creation of the Codex Astartes – a grand treatise of military doctrine and organizational law for the Space Marines.
Guilliman proposed that no Space Marine Legion should ever again wield the unchecked might that could threaten the Imperium from within. Thus, he divided the Legions into smaller autonomous Chapters, each nominally one thousand warriors strong.
This Second Founding gave birth to many new Chapters (including countless heirs of Ultramarines lineage) and ensured that the Space Marines would remain powerful yet never so numerous as to be beyond accountability. Despite initial resistance from some Primarchs, Guilliman’s logic prevailed.
For the Ultramarines, the Codex Astartes became nothing less than sacred scripture. Guilliman’s own Chapter exemplified total adherence to the Codex’s structure and teachings. Every aspect of the Ultramarines’ organization – from squad markings and battle formations to strategic reserve tactics – follows the Codex to the letter.
This strict discipline has made the Ultramarines the model by which all other Chapters are often measured. Guided by the Codex, they demonstrate remarkable flexibility and unity on the battlefield, able to respond to any threat with well-planned tactics and coordinated fury.
Over ten millennia, the Codex Astartes has proven its worth, and the Ultramarines’ steadfast loyalty to its principles has helped maintain the strength and integrity of the Adeptus Astartes as a whole.
Key Battles Since the Heresy
Battle of Macragge (745.M41)
This infamous battle against the Tyranid Hive Fleet Behemoth was one of the Ultramarines’ finest hours. The xenos invaders struck Ultramar in force, and on Macragge the Ultramarines made a desperate stand to protect their homeworld. Chapter Master Marneus Calgar oversaw the planet’s defense.
At Macragge’s polar fortresses, the Ultramarines elite First Company was wiped out to the last man holding back the Tyranid onslaught – but their sacrifice bought Calgar the time to regroup and ultimately destroy the Hive Fleet in orbit. Though victory came at a terrible price, the Ultramarines’ indomitable courage saved Macragge and all Ultramar from consumption.
Wars for Armageddon
The hive world Armageddon has been the scene of apocalyptic wars, and the Ultramarines have played their part in its defense. The First War for Armageddon (M41.444) saw a demonic invasion led by the fallen Primarch Angron. Though the Ultramarines were absent from that conflict, its grim outcome served as a warning of the horrors of Chaos.
In the Second War for Armageddon (M41.941), when the Ork warlord Ghazghkull Thraka unleashed a gargantuan invasion, the Ultramarines answered the call. Several companies deployed alongside the Blood Angels and Salamanders to bolster the planet’s defenders. Fighting under Calgar’s leadership, the Ultramarines coordinated devastating counteroffensives that broke the back of the Ork assault, ultimately driving the greenskin horde into retreat.
The Indomitus Crusade (M42)
In the wake of the galaxy-wide devastation wrought by the Great Rift, the Ultramarines took a leading role in the monumental Indomitus Crusade. With their Primarch Roboute Guilliman restored to life and commanding Imperial forces as Lord Commander, the Chapter spearheaded many critical crusade battle groups.
They fought across countless war zones to reclaim worlds lost to Chaos and xenos during the cataclysm. Guilliman and his Ultramarines liberated world after world, burning away heresy and alien corruption with bolter and blade. The Indomitus Crusade’s successes, though hard-won, reaffirmed the Ultramarines’ status as the Imperium’s mightiest champions in this new era of war.
Legendary Figures of the Ultramarines
Roboute Guilliman – Primarch of the Ultramarines
Roboute Guilliman was a master strategist and empire-builder who turned Ultramar into a thriving realm of civilized worlds during the Great Crusade. He led the XIII Legion through the dark days of the Heresy with unwavering loyalty and later authored the Codex Astartes, reshaping the future of the Space Marines.
Though he was mortally wounded by the traitor Fulgrim, Guilliman survived in stasis – and in this late age he has been miraculously resurrected to defend the Imperium once more. To the Ultramarines, he remains the ultimate exemplar of honor, duty, and the Emperor’s light reborn.
Marneus Calgar – Chapter Master
The modern champion of Ultramar is Marneus Augustus Calgar, the Chapter Master and Lord of Macragge. A brilliant tactician and formidable warrior, Calgar has led the Ultramarines through some of their most arduous battles. He famously commanded the defense of Macragge against the Tyranids. His personal heroics in battle are the stuff of legend.
Under Calgar’s stewardship, the Chapter remained strong during the long centuries without their Primarch. Now, as Guilliman’s trusted deputy (and having crossed the Rubicon Primaris to become a Primaris Marine), Calgar continues to bring glory to Ultramar with every hard-fought victory.
Cato Sicarius – Hero of the 2nd Company
Among the Ultramarines’ officers, few are as renowned as Captain Cato Sicarius. As commander of the elite Second Company, Sicarius has a long list of battle-honors to his name. He saved the hive-world of Black Reach by slaying an Ork warlord in single combat. Daring and fearless, his bold leadership inspires his fellow Space Marines.
Culture and Legacy
The Ultramarines are unique among the Adeptus Astartes in that they rule an empire of their own: the realm of Ultramar. Centered on Macragge, Ultramar spans several star systems, all under the Chapter’s protection and guided by Guilliman’s enlightened principles.
On these worlds the Ultramarines serve not just as warriors but as governors and mentors, ensuring justice, prosperity, and defense for millions of Imperial citizens. This stewardship of Ultramar has made its worlds shine brighter than many in the Imperium – they are well-ordered, productive, and relatively secure, reflecting the ideals of their Primarch.
Within the Chapter itself, a culture of strict honor and discipline prevails. The Codex Astartes is at the heart of Ultramarines tradition – its tenets are taught as spiritual doctrine as much as military regulation. Every battle-brother is expected to exemplify courage, self-control, and tactical excellence in accordance with the Codex and the Emperor’s will.
The Ultramarines temper their fierce martial prowess with wisdom and humility, prizing duty above personal glory. In battle, they practice a balanced, combined-arms approach: deploying tactical squads, assault troops, heavy support, and armored units in concert, just as Guilliman prescribed.
This methodical strategy has won them victory on countless fronts. The Chapter’s gene-seed is notably pure and stable, which allowed the founding of dozens of successor Chapters over the ages – all carrying forward the Ultramarines’ genes and teachings.
Throughout the Imperium, the Ultramarines are regarded with great respect. To many they are the embodiment of the Space Marines’ noblest qualities. Other Chapters acknowledge the Ultramarines as the standard of what it means to be an Astartes, and scores of Imperial worlds sing praises of Ultramarine heroes whose statues stand tall in their cities.
The Ultramarines in the 42nd Millennium
In the 42nd Millennium – an age of unprecedented peril – the Ultramarines stand once more at the forefront of the Imperium’s defense. After ten millennia, their Primarch has returned: Roboute Guilliman arose from stasis by a miracle of faith and science to confront the dire threats assailing Humanity.
Taking the mantle of Lord Commander, Guilliman launched the Indomitus Crusade to reclaim lost territories (an effort in which the Ultramarines played a leading part). He also oversaw the integration of the new Primaris Space Marines into the Chapter’s ranks, bolstering the Ultramarines’ strength for the struggles ahead.
The sight of Guilliman himself striding to war at the head of his Chapter has inspired renewed hope across Ultramar and beyond. Once more, Macragge’s muster fields thunder with the footsteps of Adeptus Astartes going to battle, and the warriors of Ultramar march with fresh determination to purge the Emperor’s foes.
Yet even with their Primarch to guide them, the challenges of this era are immense. The opening of the Great Rift unleashed daemonic horrors – the plague-god Nurgle’s servants even besieged Ultramar during the horrific Plague Wars.
Though several Ultramar worlds were ravaged, Marneus Calgar and the Ultramarines (galvanized by Guilliman’s leadership) ultimately drove back the Chaos invaders. Today, the Ultramarines deploy wherever they are needed – battling the forces of Chaos, confronting new xenos threats, and rallying Imperial armies on war-torn worlds.
Through every crisis, the Ultramarines remain a shining symbol of Imperial unity and courage. In an age of darkness, the Ultramarines carry the Emperor’s light into battle; as long as Ultramar’s banner flies and the cry “We march for Macragge!” echoes across the stars, the Imperium knows its champions will never yield.
