Old Night is the name later generations gave to the Age of Strife, the long collapse that shattered human civilisation between the Dark Age of Technology and the birth of the Imperium. It’s the reason the galaxy looks the way it does in Warhammer 40k.
What old night actually was
The Age of Strife, remembered as Old Night, was a destructive and regressive era that ran roughly from M23 or M25 until M30. It followed the Dark Age of Technology, a period of great prosperity, and ended only when the Imperium rose.
Sources don’t agree on exactly when it started. Some place the beginning around M23, others in M25, so treat the dates as approximate.
How it began
No single event caused the collapse. One of the earliest blows was the revolt of the Men of Iron, a war against vast robotic armies that devastated humanity and helped end the Age of Technology.
Around the same time, psykers started appearing among humans toward the end of that age. Enlightened worlds accepted them at first, but uncontrolled psychic power turned out to be a doorway for Warp entities to enter realspace. Worlds that rigorously suppressed psykers were the ones that escaped the worst.
The collapse of interstellar civilisation
Massive, persistent Warp storms erupted around Sol and across much of the galaxy. Warp travel became increasingly dangerous until it was all but impossible, cutting colony worlds off from each other for millennia.
Worlds that relied on imported goods, Terra above all, faced famine and widespread revolt. With humanity gripped by civil war, daemonic incursion and xenos raids, Old Night was a free-for-all of misery.
- Warp storms made interstellar travel and communication nearly impossible.
- Isolated worlds starved and rose in revolt.
- Xenos races such as the Orks raided human colonies with little to stop them.
- Daemonic possession and insanity spread through exposed populations.
The long isolation and its legacy
Over thousands of years apart, human populations adapted to their environments and diverged into the Abhuman races. Ratlings, Ogryns and Squats all trace their origins to this isolation.
Old Night ended in M30 with the rise of the Imperium, which reunited humanity and set the stage for everything that follows in the 40k timeline.
Key facts
- Old Night is another name for the Age of Strife.
- It ran from roughly M23 or M25 until M30.
- It followed the Dark Age of Technology and ended with the rise of the Imperium.
- Key causes: the Men of Iron revolt, uncontrolled psykers, and galaxy-wide Warp storms.
- Isolated human populations evolved into Abhuman races like Ratlings, Ogryns and Squats.
FAQ
When did Old Night happen?
Roughly from M23 or M25 to M30. Sources disagree on the start date, but everyone agrees it ended when the Imperium was founded.
What caused the Age of Strife?
A mix of disasters: the revolt of the Men of Iron, the emergence of uncontrolled psykers, and massive Warp storms that cut off interstellar travel.
Why is it called Old Night?
It’s the later, grim nickname for the Age of Strife, reflecting how later generations remembered it as a dark age of isolation and collapse.