Do Black Templars Have a Primarch?

Yes, the Black Templars proudly claim descent from Rogal Dorn, the stoic and unyielding Primarch of the Imperial Fists Legion. As crusaders who exemplify Dorn‘s refusal to yield and relentless prosecution of war, the Black Templars are the true inheritors of their gene-father‘s legacy.

Origins in the Imperial Fists Legion

The Black Templars were founded during the Second Founding in the early 31st Millennium after the Horus Heresy. Rogal Dorn, Primarch of the Imperial Fists Legion, enacted reforms to prevent another large-scale rebellion against the Imperium of Man.

As part of these reforms, Dorn divided his Legion into smaller Chapters according to the dictates of the newly authored Codex Astartes. While most Successor Chapters had around 1,000 Space Marines, Dorn decreed that the Imperial Fists would number only a nominal 100 Warriors. Meanwhile, over half the Legion was split off into a new fleet-based Chapter – the Black Templars.

Dorn appointed Sigismund, the Legion‘s most skilled swordsman and bearer of the black Emperor‘s Champion armour, to lead the nascent Chapter. Having fought side-by-side with Dorn during many Sieges of the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy, none embodied the Primarch‘s stern resolution more than Sigismund.

Under Sigismund, the Black Templars developed a culture of perpetual, zealous warfare. They became a Chapter on an eternal crusade, fighting tirelessly against the enemies of mankind across the width and breadth of the galaxy.

Upholding Dorn‘s Legacy

Over ten thousand years later, the Black Templars continue to wage war as the Imperium‘s foremost Space Marine crusaders. Across hundreds of campaigns and innumerable battle honours, they have proven the true heirs to Rogal Dorn‘s epithet – "The Unyielding One."

The Black Templars exemplify many core facets of the Imperial Fists‘ combat doctrine and organisation. As masters of siege warfare, the Black Templars‘ expertise in assaulting or holding fixed fortifications echo the tactics perfected by Dorn during the Great Crusade.

Likewise, the Black Templars maintain such Imperial Fists traditions as the Emperor‘s Champion, a designated warrior who challenges enemy champions to honourable duels. They also possess the singular determination and refusal to break that saw Dorn‘s Legion endure gruelling campaigns of attrition without complaint.

However, the Black Templars have forged a distinct identity beyond merely following in Dorn‘s footsteps. They pursue endless crusades against mankind‘s enemies rather than garrisoning the Imperium‘s worlds. They ride to war in vast armoured transports, fighting as mobile assault forces rather than as static garrison troops.

Despite these differences, the threads tying the Black Templars back to Rogal Dorn and his Imperial Fists remain strong. The Black Templars claim their gene-father‘s legacy through deeds, not words – endless war and struggle in the name of the Emperor.

No reliable records exist on how many foes the Black Templars have faced over ten millennia. But if their restored Primarch Rogal Dorn still watched over his erstwhile Legion, he would see in the Black Templars the reflection of his own iron will to destroy all of mankind‘s enemies, no matter the sacrifice.