# How long did the horus heresy last?



## Ardias26 (Sep 26, 2008)

was it months, years....centuries?
Considering that the world of krieg took 500 years of atomic purging for the war to end (wtf?!!) I cant really see a galaxywide civil war lasting only a few months, even if it was fought by astartes.
The fluff has never said how long the heresy lasted, or if it has I've never come across it.
Ideas anyone?


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## gen.ahab (Dec 22, 2009)

I believe it was a little more than a decade.


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## Scyfus (Jan 18, 2010)

I read that it was under a decade, I want to say seven years for whatever reason.


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## hailene (Aug 28, 2009)

From Isstvan to Horus's defeat at the Emperor's hands took two years (012.M31-014.31). 

Then the great Scourging took seven years. This was the destruction of Traitor forces within the Imperium. Chaos forces were either destroyed or retreated after 7 years (021.M31). 2 or 9 years, your pick.

Though one could also say that the Heresy continues some 10,000 years later.


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## Child-of-the-Emperor (Feb 22, 2009)

hailene said:


> From Isstvan to Horus's defeat at the Emperor's hands took two years (012.M31-014.31).


Whats your source for that?

I was always led to believe it was around a decade. I will hunt through my source material to try and find something.


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## Coder59 (Aug 23, 2009)

Let's try and work this out with time frames. 

Now in Horus Rising Loken mentioned that it would take 40 months to get from the eastern Fringe to Terra. That's nearly four years of Warp Travel just for Horus to get his butt to Terra.

We also know from Galaxy in Flames that Saul Tarvitz held the Traitors at Istvaan for nearly three months and that Corax was on Istvaan V for 90 days give or take. So both those campaigns combined were talking at least six months with an unknown length of time between them while the rest of the Legions manouvered into position.

So were talking a time frame of at least four years at absolute minimum. Then once you factor in all warp travel, Legion musters and the actual time it takes to fight a battle with Astartes we're talking a decade and up at least.


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## Barnster (Feb 11, 2010)

I always thought it would be about 2 decades. 

horus needed to get everyone to terra after istivaan, the deathguard got lost in a warpstorm for a fair time, many worlds were turned from the imperium and there were many smaller skirmishes its impossible to think that the whole heresy were just a few masssive battles

Horus did after all dropped his shields due to an approaching loyalist fleet from across the galaxy suggesting the siege would have taken along time aswell


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## Coder59 (Aug 23, 2009)

Barnster said:


> I always thought it would be about 2 decades.
> 
> horus needed to get everyone to terra after istivaan, the deathguard got lost in a warpstorm for a fair time, many worlds were turned from the imperium and there were many smaller skirmishes its impossible to think that the whole heresy were just a few masssive battles
> 
> Horus did after all dropped his shields due to an approaching loyalist fleet from across the galaxy suggesting the siege would have taken along time aswell


I think i read somewhere that the seige lasted 56 days or something. I couldn't tell you where i read that though.


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## hailene (Aug 28, 2009)

Child-of-the-Emperor said:


> Whats your source for that?
> 
> I was always led to believe it was around a decade. I will hunt through my source material to try and find something.


I picked it up from the Lexicanum. It says so during the M31 time line.

I don't know where the Lexicanum found it, though, since the site seems to be hating life and I keep timing out when I try to look at the page.


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

I would have my guesses on between 7-20 years, given a take. I know the Great Crusade ended in the 204th year since it started and then the Heresy started.


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## dark angel (Jun 11, 2008)

As far as I know it was a Decade/Maybe more. You must not forget that dozens if not hundreds of smaller battles will have took place, not just the ones that we know about. Warp Travel I assume was quicker for the Traitors that it was the Loyalists, due to them having the power of the Warp upon their side, and the God's probably wanted to keep their pesky enemy Legions off of those under their service. Time is different according to other worlds as well remember, for some random example, one of our months could be a year on another world. Most of this is speculation though, I guess as the Horus Heresy unfolds we shall see. And yes, I do believe the Siege of Terra lasted for fifty six days, if I remember correctly, that is in COllected Visions


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