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{{Era|CH|H2|H3|H3R|GOO|UP}}
{{Status|Canon}}
{{Ratings}}
{{Battle infobox
|prev=
|conc=[[Human-Covenant War]]
|next=[[Sangheili-Jiralhanae war]]
|image=[[File:H2A - HighCharityBattle Concept.png|350px]]
|conflict=
|date=
*[[2552#November|November 3, 2552]]–[[2552#December|December 11, 2552]]{{Ref/Note|The massacre of the Sangheili on Earth on October 20, 2552 (witnessed in ''Halo 3: ODST'') is regarded as an isolated incident leading up to the Schism, whereas the conflict at large is considered to have begun with the Sangheili's banishment from the Honor Guard and the subsequent outbreak of all-out hostilities within High Charity and its fleets on November 2.}}
**Continues as the [[Sangheili-Jiralhanae war]]<ref name="The Return">'''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''' "[[The Return]]" - '' "It was a terrible war. The Prophets provided the Brutes with powerful new weapons, hoping that they would in turn defend their Prophets against our wrath. But when the Prophets went into hiding, the lack of leadership allowed the Brutes to return to their savage nature and they soon began to fight against each other. This lack of solidarity made them much easier prey. Some of my fellow commanders continue that fight even now"''</ref>
|place=[[Orion Arm]], [[Milky Way|Milky Way Galaxy]]
|result='''Sangheili victory'''
*Dissolution of the [[Covenant]]
*[[San'Shyuum]] reduced to an [[Extinction#Near-extinctions (Endangered species)|endangered species]]
*Ongoing conflict between the [[Sangheili]] and the [[Jiralhanae]]
|side1=
*{{Icon|Covenant FB}} '''[[Covenant]]'''
|side2=
*{{Icon|Covenant FB}} '''[[Covenant separatists]]'''
|commanders1=
[[Prophet of Truth|High Prophet of Truth]]† <br>
[[Prophet of Mercy|High Prophet of Mercy]]† <br>
[[Prophet of Exquisite Devotion]]† <br>
[[Chieftain of the Jiralhanae|Chieftain]] [[Tartarus]]† <br>
[[Jiralhanae Chieftain|Chieftain]] [[Gargantum]] <br>
[[Jiralhanae Chieftain|Chieftain]] [[Avitus]]
[[Jiralhanae Captain|Captain]] [[Melchus]] <br>
|commanders2=
[[Arbiter]] [[Thel 'Vadam]] <br>
[[Shipmaster]] [[Rtas 'Vadum]] <br>
[[Unidentified Shipmaster (Righteous Vigilance)|Unidentified Sangheili Shipmaster]]{{Ref/Reuse|The Return}} <br>
[[Fleet Master]] [[Voro Nar 'Mantakree]]† <br>
[[Imperial Admiral]] [[Xytan 'Jar Wattinree]]† <br>
[[Blademaster]] [[Vul 'Soran]]<br>
[[Fleetmaster]] [[Rojka 'Kasaan]]<br>
|forces1=
*[[Covenant military]]
**[[Truth's fleet|Prophet of Truth's fleet]]
**Jiralhanae-led [[High Charity defense fleet]]
**[[Fleet of Furious Redemption]]
*[[San'Shyuum]]
*[[Jiralhanae]]
*[[Yanme'e]]
*[[Kig-Yar]]
*Few [[Unggoy]]
*Few [[Mgalekgolo]]
*[[Huragok]] {{C|unwillingly}}
|forces2=
*[[Fleet of Retribution]]
*[[Fleet of Righteous Vigilance]]
*[[Fleet of Recalcitrant Ire]]
*[[Joyous Exultation Covenant]]
**[[Combined Fleet of Righteous Purpose]]
**Sangheili-led [[Second Fleet of Homogeneous Clarity]]{{Ref/Book|Ghosts of Onyx|Chapter=27}}
*[[Sangheili]]
*Most of the [[Unggoy]]
*Most of the [[Mgalekgolo]]
*[[Huragok]]
|casual1=
*Most San'Shyuum {{C|reduced to an [[Extinction#Near-extinctions (Endangered species)|endangered species]]}}
**[[Prophet of Mercy|High Prophet of Mercy]]
**[[Prophet of Truth|High Prophet of Truth]]
*Many Jiralhanae
**[[Chieftain of the Jiralhanae]] [[Tartarus]]
*Many Yanme'e
*Many Kig-Yar
*Some Unggoy
*Few Mgalekgolo
|casual2=
*Many Sangheili
**[[Fleet Master]] [[Voro Nar 'Mantakree]]
**[[Imperial Admiral]] [[Xytan 'Jar Wattinree]]
*Some Unggoy
*Some Mgalekgolo}}
{{Quote|By the Prophets... what have these Brutes done? They have shed our brothers' blood... and for that, they must die!|[[Sangheili]] on [[Installation 05]].{{Ref/Level|Id=Uprising|H2|Uprising}}}}


{{Template:Infobox Military Conflicts
The '''Great Schism''',{{Ref/Book|Id=GoO|GoO|Page=240}} also known as the '''Covenant Schism''',{{Ref/Book|Id=GoO245|GoO|Page=245}} was a major civil war between the forces loyal to the [[Covenant]] (led by the [[San'Shyuum]] and the [[Jiralhanae]]) against the [[Covenant separatists]] (the [[Sangheili]] and their followers), which split apart on [[2552#November|November 3, 2552]]. The [[High Prophet of Truth]] ordered the extermination of the entire Sangheili species,{{Ref/Reuse|TEVG}}{{Ref/Level|H2|Quarantine Zone}}{{Ref/Novel|GoO|Page=208}} forcing them out of the Covenant.{{Ref/Reuse|Elites}} Battles during the Schism took place all throughout Covenant space, most prominently on [[High Charity]], the heart of the alien empire. The [[Flood]] additionally played a tertiary role, when they took over the holy city in an effort to assimilate the other warring factions. The deciding battles were fought between the Sangheili [[Fleet of Retribution]] allied with the [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] against the [[High Prophet of Truth]] and his remnants of the Covenant on the [[Installation 00|Ark]]. The Schism marked both the end of the Covenant and the partition of its client species for a thousand years.{{Ref/Reuse|GoO245}} For the UNSC, it served as a major turning point that led to the [[Battle of Installation 00|end of the war]] after their [[Fall of Reach|disastrous defeat on Reach]].
|previous=
|conc=Human-Covenant War
|next=
|name=Covenant Civil War
|image=[[Image:War.jpg|300px]]
|begin=October [[2552]]
|end=March [[2553]]
|place=[[Milky Way|Milky Way Galaxy]]
|Cause=Genocide
|result=*UNSC/Separatist victory <ref>''[[Halo 3]]'', level [[The Covenant (Level)|The Covenant]]''</ref>
**Eventual destruction of the Covenant
**Peace between the Humans and Separatist Members Established
|side1=*[[Covenant Loyalists]]
|side2=*[[Covenant Separatists]]
* [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]]
|commanders1=*[[High Prophet of Truth]]†
*[[High Prophet of Mercy]]†
*[[High Prophet of Regret]]†
*[[Jiralhanae Chieftain|Chieftain of the Jiralhanae]] [[Tartarus]]†
|commanders2= *[[Arbiter (Rank)|Arbiter]] [[Thel 'Vadamee]]
*[[Shipmaster]] [[Rtas 'Vadum]]
*[[Fleet Master]] [[Voro Nar 'Mantakree]]†
*[[Imperial Admiral]] [[Xytan 'Jar Wattinree]]
*[[Fleet Admiral|FADM]] [[Sir Terrence Hood]]
*[[Lieutenant Commander|LCDR]] [[Miranda Keyes]]†
*[[Master Chief Petty Officer|MCPO]] [[John-117]]
*[[Sergeant Major]] [[Avery Johnson]]†
|forces1=*[[Covenant Army|Covenant Loyalist Army]]
*[[Covenant Navy|Covenant Loyalist Navy]]
**[[Truth's Fleet]]
|forces2=*[[Covenant Army|Covenant Separatist Army]]
*[[Covenant Navy|Covenant Separatist Navy]]
**[[Fleet of Retribution]]
*[[UNSC Defense Force]]
|casual1=*[[High Council]]
*Large amounts of [[Jiralhanae]], [[Mgalekgolo]], [[Unggoy]], [[Kig-yar]] and [[Yanme'e]] soldiers
|casual2=*[[Fleet Master|Fleetmaster]] [[Voro Nar 'Mantakree]]
*[[Lieutenant Commander|LCDR]] [[Miranda Keyes]]
*[[Sergeant Major|SgtMaj]] [[Avery Johnson]]
*Large amounts of [[Sangheili]], [[Human]], [[Unggoy]] and [[Mgalekgolo]] soldiers.  
}}


The '''Great Schism''', also known as the '''Covenant Civil War''', was a major conflict between two factions, the [[Covenant Loyalists]] and the [[Covenant Separatists|Separatists]], which split apart in [[2552|October 2552]]. During the Covenant Civil War, three major factions fought for victory: [[Humans]] and their [[Covenant Separatists|Separatist]] allies, [[Covenant Loyalists]], led by the [[San 'Shyuum]] and the [[Jiralhanae]], and Gravemind with the [[Flood]], which took over the Covenant [[List of Starships|Holy City]] of [[High Charity]] in an effort to assimilate the other warring factions.
The conflict went down in Sangheili history as the '''Great Betrayal''',<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions''', ''The Return'', ''page 247''</ref> its deep wounds continuing to stir animosity between their kind and the Jiralhanae for years to come.{{Ref/Reuse|The Return}}


==Conflict Erupts==
==Background==
After the [[Prophet of Regret]] was killed by [[Master Chief]], the two remaining [[Prophets]], most notably the [[High Prophet of Truth]], reorganized [[Covenant]] society, seeing that the Elites could no longer protect the Prophets due to Regret's death, they replaced the [[Elites (Sangheili)|Elites]] with the [[Jiralhanae|Brutes]] as the Prophets' [[Honor Guard of the Covenant|protectors]]. The Elites viewed this as a violation of the principle that the Covenant had been founded upon and threatened to resign from the [[High Council]]. They also argued that if Truth had not withdrawn the [[Phantom]]s that had been en route to [[Prophet_of_Regret|Regret's]] location, the Prophet's death would have been prevented and the [[Demon]] would have been killed instead.  
{{Quote|no=two|1=Thel 'Vadamee|q1=We are strong, Kig-Yar. That is why we sit at the right hand of the Prophets.|2=Reth|q2=One day that shall pass.|3=Conversation between [[Reth]] and [[Thel 'Vadam]]ee in [[2535]]<ref>'''[[Halo: The Cole Protocol]]''', ''page 229''</ref>}}
[[File:H2A Terminals - Sangheili surrender.png|250px|thumb|left|The Sangheili threatened San'Shyuum power,{{Ref/Reuse|challenger}} while the Jiralhanae threatened Sangheili power.{{Ref/Reuse|Conversations}}]]
For centuries over the course of the [[history of the Covenant]], various high ranking [[Sangheili]] with great influence would use their power to ask questions, eventually coming close to discovering the truth about the [[Forerunner]]s.{{Ref/Reuse|challenger}} Discovering such a truth would falsify the [[Covenant religion]] and shatter the empire along with its power structure. As such, the [[San'Shyuum]] [[High Prophet]]s perceived these influential Sangheili as a threat to their authority, and would send them on suicidal missions decorated under the honorary guise of [[Arbiter]]s to discretely remove their threatening presence.{{Ref/Game|Id=challenger|Halo 2: Anniversary|Part=[[Terminal (Halo 2: Anniversary)|Terminal 11]]|Quote=In some cases, that influence was already being used to question the decisions of your Hierarchs. In fact, that very questioning often gave rise to the charges of heresy that so neatly removed the challenger from the Hierarchs' concern.}}


However, Truth further demoted the Elites by giving command of their [[Covenant Fleet]]s to the Brutes. Once enough Brutes were in place, Truth instigated the war by secretly ordering the assassination of many [[Councilors|ruling]] Elites. Truth also freed all of the Brute prisoners and pardoned them after release (Seen on the Halo Timeline Edict of the High Prophet of Truth). This was disguised as a Brute insurrection against the Covenant to the Elites, the [[Hunters (Lekgolo)|Hunters]] and most [[Unggoy|Grunts]]. Loyalist factions were led to believe it was an Elite revolt. After the killing of the Elite Council members, war broke out on [[High Charity]], the two sides polarizing quickly. However, this was at first a debate over orthodoxy and leadership. The true split occurred when the Elites learned the truth about the [[Halos]] and the [[The Great Journey|Great Journey]]. Their disillusionment changed their goal from reforming the purity of the Covenant to actively fighting against it.  
With this history of troublesome influential Sangheili well documented among the High Prophets, the threat the Sangheili posed was made even more apparent during the [[Human-Covenant War]] in [[2552]], when [[Sesa 'Refumee's heretic faction]] spread information about the [[Covenant religion#Great Journey|Great Journey]] being false.{{Ref/Game|Halo 2|Quote=Our Prophets are false! Open your eyes, my brothers! They would use the faith of our forefathers to bring ruin to us all! The Great Journey is a-}} Intending to prevent the Covenant from falling apart and losing power, the [[Prophet of Truth|High Prophet of Truth]] secretly made plans to eject the entire Sangheili species from the hegemony, viewing them as untrustworthy and doubting their reliability and loyalty. As the war had waged on, some Sangheili questioned the need to exterminate [[humanity]] instead of welcoming them into the Covenant, given humanity's strength as a tenacious species and occasional displays of honor.{{Ref/Book|Cole Protocol|Page=247}}{{Ref/Game|Halo 2|Part=[[Conversations from the Universe]]: [[Conversations from the Universe#Elite Conversation|Elite Conversation]]}} This changing attitude towards mankind who were deemed [[heretic]]al along with the faliure to [[Battle of Installation 04|safeguard]] a holy [[Alpha Halo|"Sacred Ring"]], further perpetuated San'Shyuum distrust toward the Sangheili.


The split was not cleanly divided by either race or faction. [[Covenant Loyalists|Loyalists]] followed the Prophets and included Brutes, [[Jackals]], [[Drones]], a small number of [[Grunts]] and some Hunters. [[Covenant Separatists|Separatists]] included Elites, with most Hunters and the majority of Grunts also breaking away initially. The Great Schism seemed to be more associated with intellect. The Elites' reasoning, logic and good intentions allowed them to see through the abuse of religious authority enforced by the Prophets.
The High Prophet of Truth plotted to eventually replace the Sangheili with the [[Jiralhanae]], as he saw the latter as more willing and unquestioning pawns. Ever since the Jiralhanae's integration in [[2492]], their dominating physicality and aggressive behavior was perceived as a threat by the Sangheili to their superior status in the Covenant hierarchy.<ref name="Conversations">[[Conversations from the Universe]]: [[Conversations from the Universe#Grunt Conversation|Grunt Conversation]] "And you have ears, you've heard the disrespect the Jiralhanae show the Sangheili. They hate each other. The Sangheili have lived too long under the shelter of the Covenant as the strongest of us. The Jiralhanae come stomping along and suddenly it's not so simple as it was."</ref> In turn, the Sangheili treated the Jiralhanae poorly and oppressed them, to keep them in line.<ref>[http://www.gamespot.com/articles/halo-wars-2-new-character-images-and-details-revea/1100-6442098/?ftag=GSS-05-10aaa0b '''Gamestop''': ''Halo Wars 2: New Character Images and Details Revealed''] - "Decimus still harbors some resentment against the Elites under Atriox's banner due to how Elites treated the Brutes during the time of the Covenant"</ref> Competition for dominance in the Covenant military and hatred festered between the two species,{{Ref/Reuse|Conversations}} though the Sangheili maintained their authority and power as a founding race.<ref>[[Bestiarum]] "The Sangheili are, simply put, technological and societal equals of the Prophets yet, for a significant period, found themselves as the dominant military muscle for the entire Covenant structure"</ref> Feeding off of their societal rivalry, Truth knew that the Jiralhanae would be more than happy to replace the Sangheili as the Covenant's military leaders. He had appointed [[Tartarus]], a loyal Jiralhanae, to the position of [[Chieftain of the Jiralhanae]] who would help him execute his plan. Truth kept these schemes to himself and waited until the time was right to implement them.


The only Grunts who actually remained loyal to the Prophets were the most devout followers of the Covenant religion (ex. Deacons). This might also suggest that the Grunts' "new found courage" in ''[[Halo 3]]'' might have been the result of fanaticism rather than cowardice. There is some evidence to support this since there are a number of Grunts who commit acts that are anything but cowardly (ex. Kamikaze Grunts). It's also possible that the reason Separatist Grunts are never seen in ''Halo 3'' is that shortly after the Great Schism, they returned to [[Balaho]] to lead a rebellion against the Deacons and other Loyalist forces. The Separatist Hunters might have done the same on [[Te]], but it is still unknown.
===Secret preparations===
After the [[High Prophet of Truth]] learned the location of the [[Earth|human homeworld]], he secretly amassed [[Truth's fleet|a fleet]] of over five hundred warships, commanded entirely by Jiralhanae, at the Covenant's command-and-control station ''[[Unyielding Hierophant]]''.<ref>'''[[Halo: First Strike]]''', ''page 297''</ref> In [[2552#September|September 2552]], this station and the fleet [[Operation: FIRST STRIKE|were destroyed]] by [[SPARTAN-II program|Spartan-II]] [[Blue Team]] who learned of its purpose shortly before the invasion could commence.<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 407''</ref> This put a temporary halt to Truth's plans to replace the Sangheili with the Jiralhanae.<ref name="oct20">'''[[Halo Waypoint]]''', ''"Ten Twenty" history article''</ref>


==Sangheili-Human Alliance==
At some point, the Prophet of Truth also commissioned the creation of [[Drekar]] ships to be used by the Jiralhanae against the Sangheili.{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22|Enc22|Page=461}}
The shaky-to-steady alliance between the [[Covenant Separatists|Separatists]] and their former foes, the [[Humans]], was forged entirely out of necessity. The UNSC forces were big but on the defensive, and they had two common enemies that wished for their extinction: the Covenant and the Flood. The alliance of circumstance was forged in the control room of [[Delta Halo]], when Johnson and the Arbiter were coerced to unite in order to prevent Tartarus activating Delta Halo and firing the Halo Array, which would have killed every sentient being in the galaxy, including himself and the rest of his race, as in their and the rest of the Covenant Loyalist's ignorance believed would only start the Great Journey.<ref>''[[Halo 2]]'', [[The Great Journey (level)]] Final Cutscene</ref>However, the Arbiter persuaded the rest of the Sangheili to join the humans. While the two factions experience some friction because their alliance is based on the ''the enemies of my enemies are my friends'' concept instead of good political relationships they learn to work with one another for their mutual survival. During the events of ''Halo 3'', the [[Elites]] fight alongside humans in battle. The Elites decided to save the humans from destruction.


The devastated [[UNSC]] [[Fleet]] in [[Earth]]'s space were glad to accept the help of the superior [[Separatist]] Warships. The [[Elites]]' understanding of enemy equipment and [[Covenant]]'s combat tactics proved invaluable in the [[Battle of Installation 00]]. Recurrently the heroes of battle, the Arbiter and [[Master Chief]] fought alongside one another many times in the desperate and long conflict. The Arbiter's presence at memorial services for the [[Master Chief]] indicated that in the wake of victory, [[Separatist]]s and humans remained friendly to one another as they both had made tremendous sacrifices in order to stop Truth and the Loyalist forces, as well as the Gravemind and the Flood. The Elites and humans will probably continue to be allies and will benefit greatly from this alliance in the future.
[[File:H3ODST FamilyFeud.jpg|thumb|left|250px|[[Edward Buck]] comes across the aftermath of an early skirmish between Sangheili and Jiralhanae during the [[Battle of Mombasa]].]]
A month later on October 20, the [[Prophet of Regret|High Prophet of Regret]] made a move the High Prophet of Truth did not expect. Having discovered a significant [[Forerunner]] [[Portal at Voi|artifact]] on a planet called "Erde-Tyrene" all by himself, but unaware of the fact it was humanity's homeworld known as Earth, Regret took [[Fleet of Sacred Consecration|his fleet]] of only fifteen ships and rushed to "Erde-Tyrene" to investigate it.{{Ref/Reuse|oct20}} Immediately after Truth learned of this, he sent the remnants of the fleet he had amassed, to Earth as well. Truth gave his Jiralhanae troops orders to forcibly overtake the Sangheili in command of the remaining forces on and above Earth.


With [[Truth]] dead, [[High Charity]] destroyed, and the [[Ark]] essentially lost to the reborn [[Installation 04 (II)|Installation 04]]'s firing, it is unknown what exactly the remaining [[Loyalist]] forces did.
To Regret's surprise, he was invading the human homeworld, resulting in a [[Battle of Mombasa|massive battle]] forcing him to flee. When Regret retreated from Earth, his Sangheili-led ships in orbit and ground forces continued to engage the [[United Nations Space Command]] without his leadership.  
According to the [[Bestiarum]] in [[Halo 3]]'s Limited Edition, the [[Grunts]] were too indecisive to continue the rebellion and the true political motivation of the [[Hunters]], if any, remained a mystery. [[Ship Master]] [[Rtas 'Vadum]] stated that [[Truth]]'s Fleet was destroyed. Had any of the [[Covenant]] survived on the [[Ark]] or in the ruins of their Fleet, they were either taken by the [[Flood]] or killed when the unfinished Installation 04 (II) fired and destroyed itself and heavily damaged the Ark. At the end cutscene of ''[[Halo 3]]'', victorious Elites depart for their homeworld. With the Covenant disbanded and the [[Flood]] threat ended, each race returned home to rebuild their homeworld.


== Timeline ==
Moments after, the Jiralhanae forces within the fleet and on the ground discretely killed all remaining Sangheili on Earth,<ref name="odst">'''[[Halo 3: ODST]]''', campaign level ''[[Coastal Highway]]''</ref> as Truth had ordered. [[Vero 'Ahtulai]] was one among many of these Sangheili victims. They took over the Sangheili's duties to occupy the human city of [[New Mombasa]], until more Jiralhanae reinforcements sent by Truth arrived. As ''[[High Charity]]'' and the rest of the [[Covenant fleet]] were on their way to the newly discovered [[Halo Array|Halo]] [[Installation 05]], Delta Halo, the murder of these Sangheili ground forces remained secret from the rest of the Covenant.
=== [[2552]] ===


'''September 22:'''
Regret arrived at Delta Halo weeks before ''High Charity'' and the rest of the Covenant, and indirectly served yet another purpose for Truth plan: to scapegoat the Sangheili.{{Ref/Reuse|oct20}} With the arrival of the {{UNSCShip|In Amber Clad}} commanded by [[Commander]] [[Miranda Keyes]] on Delta Halo, the UNSC managed to [[Assassination of the Prophet of Regret|assassinate the Prophet of Regret]] in a temple on the Halo ring after they got the intel they needed, with [[Spartan-II|Spartan]] [[John-117]] carrying out this task.
*[[Installation 04]] is destroyed by [[UNSC|Human]] forces. Its [[Monitor]], [[343 Guilty Spark (Monitor)|343 Guilty Spark]], escapes to [[Threshold]]. The ''[[Fleet of Particular Justice]]'' is wiped out. The Fleet's secondary flagship, the ''[[Ascendant Justice]]'', is captured by Humans.<ref>''[[Halo: First Strike]]''</ref>
 
*A [[Covenant]] Artifact Retrieval team led by [[Heretic Leader|Sesa 'Refumee]] is investigating the [[Gas Mine]] of Threshold when he encounters 343 Guilty Spark. Inspired by Spark's words, 'Refumee rebelled against the [[High Prophets]] of the Covenant.
===The Changing of the Guard===
'''October 20:'''
{{Main|Changing of the Guard}}
*&nbsp;[[Thel 'Vadamee]], the Supreme Commander of the Fleet of Particular Justice, is tried before the [[High Council]] and sentenced to death.
[[File:H2A Beamish cameo.jpg|thumb|250px|Kig-Yar and Unggoy protest on High Charity.]]
* The [[High Prophet of Truth]] overrides the council and makes the Supreme Commander an Arbiter of the Covenant. Truth then sends him to kill Sesa 'Refumee and destroy his [[Heretic|rebellion]], which they dub "Heresy".
After the High Prophet of Regret was killed by the [[John-117|Demon]] on [[2552#November|November 2, 2552]], the two remaining [[Hierarchs]] reorganized Covenant society. Claiming that the Sangheili could no longer protect the Prophets due to Regret's death, the High Prophet of Truth publicly replaced the Sangheili with the Jiralhanae as the Prophets' [[Honor Guard|protectors]]. Much to their dismay, all [[Sangheili Honor Guardsman|Sangheili Honor Guardsmen]] were ordered to give away their armor and weapons to the new [[Jiralhanae Honor Guardsman|Jiralhanae Honor Guardsmen]]. The Sangheili viewed this as a violation of the principle that the Covenant had been founded upon and threatened to resign from the Covenant.<ref name="icon">'''[[Halo 2]]''', campaign level ''[[Sacred Icon]]''</ref> [[Special Operations Commander]] [[Rtas 'Vadumee]] relayed this warning from the [[Sangheili High Councilor]]s to Truth, who attempted to comfort the situation by calling it a mere "exchange of hats". Several Unggoy and Kig-Yar would join in protest against this change as well.{{Ref/Level|H2|[[Gravemind (level)]]}}
*Start of the [[Battle of Earth]]. The defeated [[High Prophet of Regret]] is forced to retreat to [[Installation 05]], pursued by the ''[[UNSC In Amber Clad]]''. On the same day, the Jiralhanae forces sent to Earth kill the remaining Sangheili stationed there.
 
*The Arbiter and a Spec Ops Commander, [[Rtas 'Vadumee]] lead a team of [[Special Ops Elites|Spec Ops]] forces to Threshold, where they kill [[Sesa 'Refumee]] and successfully crush his rebellion.
The High Prophet of Truth further demoted the Sangheili by giving command of their fleets to the Jiralhanae, including the [[Fleet of Profound Solitude]], [[Fleet of Tranquil Composure]] and [[Fleet of Inner Knowledge]].{{Ref/Reuse|HWTimeline}} Many Sangheili [[Shipmaster]]s and [[Fleetmaster]]s would be replaced with new Jiralhanae commanders. Truth allocated more loyal forces to his disposal by pardoning and releasing all Jiralhanae prisoners, while publicly framing it as a celebration for the species newly elevated status in Covenant society.<ref name="HWTimeline">'''[[Halo Wars]]''', ''[[Halo Wars Timeline Events|Timeline]]''</ref>
'''November:'''
 
*The [[Master Chief]] tracks down and kills the [[Prophet of Regret]] on Installation 05.
The Sangheili found these changes to be deeply humiliating, as founding members of the Covenant they were insulted to see their societal status quickly becoming relegated below the Jiralhanae.<ref>[http://www.gamespot.com/articles/halo-wars-2-new-character-images-and-details-revea/1100-6442098/?ftag=GSS-05-10aaa0b '''Gamestop''': ''Halo Wars 2: New Character Images and Details Revealed''] - "This arrangement was deeply unpleasant for the Shipmaster, especially since Elites were used to lording over the Brutes during the time of the Covenant..."</ref>
*''[[High Charity]]'' arrives at Installation 05. Witnessing the assassination of the Prophet of Regret, the Prophet of Truth replaces the [[Honor Guard]] [[Elites]] with [[Brutes]]. Insulted, the Elite [[Councilor]]s threaten to resign from the High Council.
 
*The Arbiter and Tartarus are sent to retrieve [[The Index]]. The Arbiter successfully takes the Index, but Tartarus tries to kill him and takes the Index from him, as he was secretly ordered to do so by the Prophet of Truth.
==War==
*Most of the Elite [[Councilor|Councilors]] are taken to the surface of [[Installation 05]] where they are murdered by the [[Brutes]].
===Conflict erupts===
*[[Tartarus]] declares war on the [[Elites]], and the [[Battle of High Charity]] begins. Fighting between [[Elite]] and [[Brute]] forces breaks out all over [[High Charity]]. As word spreads, fighting takes place throughout the Fleet, as [[Elite]] and [[Brute]] controlled ships attack one another.
{{Quote|The Great Schism is upon us. The unbreakable Covenant [[Writ of Union]] has been split asunder. This is the end of the Ninth, and final, [[Ages of Reclamation|Age]].|Xytan 'Jar Wattinree{{Ref/Reuse|GoO}}}}
*[[Flood]] invade [[High Charity]] in the middle of the battle by jumping through [[Slipspace]] in the [[UNSC In Amber Clad|In Amber Clad]] into [[High Charity]] and then afterwards through the use of [[Pelican|Pelicans]] to invade the rest of the city.
[[File:H2A Terminals - Murder of the Councilors.jpg|thumb|300px|left|The massacre of the Sangheili High Councilors.]]
*[[Tartarus]] attempts to activate [[Installation 05|Halo]].
The High Prophet of Truth predicted that the High Council would elect a new Hierarch to replace Regret, and so he made his move to eliminate the [[Sangheili Councilor|Sangheili High Councilors]] to prevent another moderate Prophet from being elected.<ref>[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/factions/high-council '''Halo Waypoint''': ''High Council'']</ref> Once enough Jiralhanae were in place, Truth instigated a pogrom by ordering the assassination of all Sangheili Councilors.<ref name="uprising">'''Halo 2''', campaign level ''[[Uprising]]''</ref> Many Sangheili High Councilors and former Honor Guards were ordered to meet in the [[Control Room (Installation 05)|Control Room]] of [[Installation 05]] to begin preparing for the [[Covenant religion#Great Journey|Great Journey]]. However, [[Jiralhanae Captain]] [[Melchus]] arrived at the Control Room, with a large heavily armed contingent of Jiralhanae, and proceeded to massacre the Councilors and former guardsmen.<ref>'''Halo: Broken Circle''', ''pages 219-222'' (Google Play edition)</ref> All Sangheili in the room were killed except for [[G'torik 'Klemmee]] who survived a deadly fall and later escaped, the rest were smashed into bloody pieces by [[Gravity hammer (fiction)|gravity hammer]]s. Concurrently, [[Chieftain of the Jiralhanae]] [[Tartarus]] and his guards attempted to kill [[Arbiter]] [[Thel 'Vadamee]] in the [[Library]], seizing the [[Index]] and knocking him into a deep pit, as ordered by Truth. This would spark the start of the Great Schism.  
*[[Thel 'Vadamee]], with the help of [[Sergeant Johnson]] and [[Rtas 'Vadumee]], kills [[Tartarus]].
 
*[[Miranda Keyes]] aborts the activation of [[Installation 05|Halo]], placing the entire [[Halo Array]] on standby status. [[343 Guilty Spark (Monitor)|343 Guilty Spark]] reveals the existence of [[The Ark]].
Word of the massacred Sangheili Councilors immediately spread and was perceived as an insurrection against the Covenant to the Sangheili. The Jiralhanae and other loyalists were led to believe it was a Sangheili revolt, rejecting the Jiralhanae's newly elevated status,{{Ref/Book|Halo Envoy}} and were ordered to exterminate the entire Sangheili species and kill all of them on sight.{{Ref/Book|Id=TEVG|Halo: The Essential Visual Guide|Page=25|Quote=...when the High Prophet of Truth appointed the Brutes for his own security, proclaiming the Elites to be heretics deserving extermination.}} After the slaughter of the Councilors, war and violence broke out on High Charity, with the two sides polarizing quickly. Video messages of the various massacres were sent to all Sangheili forces,<ref>[[Halo: Evolutions]] [[The Return]] (Motion Comic) - "We were scouting for humans when the message came in. I could not comprehend what I was seeing. Our betrayal by the Prophets. The Slaughter of our leaders."</ref> resulting in the entire species learning that they had been forced out of the Covenant.{{Ref/Site|Id=Elites|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/species/jiralhanae|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Universe: Jiralhanae|LocalArchive=https://web.archive.org/web/20151124211139/https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/species/jiralhanae|Quote=The resulting conflict would be called the Great Schism, and it would divide the Covenant into two, ultimately forcing the Sangheili out.}} The ships within the [[High Charity defense fleet]] began shooting each other down while gunfire erupted aboard the interior of High Charity. At the front lines of the conflict, the species of the Covenant took distinct sides. Those who followed the High Prophets included all San'Shyuum and Jiralhanae (with a [[Zo Resken|few]] [[Piety|exceptions]]),<ref>'''Halo: Glasslands''', ''page 55''</ref><ref>'''Halo: Broken Circle'''</ref> many [[Kig-Yar]] and [[Yanme'e]], some Unggoy, and a few Mgalekgolo. The forces allied with all the Sangheili consisted of many Mgalekgolo, Unggoy and [[Huragok]].<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions''', "[[Wages of Sin]]", ''page 509''</ref>
*The battle in and around High Charity ends with the Flood in control of the city. The [[Brute]] and [[Elite]] Fleets remaining around the city-station continue to destroy each other.
 
*The [[Prophet of Truth]] takes the [[Forerunner Dreadnought]] to [[Earth]], to join the [[Battle of Earth]]. The [[Brute]] forces there are already engaged in fighting with the [[UNSC]]. Unbeknown to the [[Prophet of Truth]], the [[Master Chief]] is on the ship, with the intention of "Finishing the Fight".
[[File:H2A-Brutes vs Elites.jpg|300px|thumb|Former Sangheili Honor Guards fight with the Jiralhanae on High Charity.]]
'''November 3:'''
The [[Prophet of Exquisite Devotion]] who had been torturing Sangheili, discovered that the [[Zo Resken|Prophet of Clarity]] was attempting to aid them. Devotion then attempted to have Clarity executed for [[heresy|treason]]. However, a group of Sangheili led by G'torik 'Klemmee arrived and rescued the Prophet of Clarity—killing Exquisite Devotion in the process.<ref>'''Halo: Broken Circle''', ''page 242''</ref>  After the Sangheili-led and Jiralhanae-led forces fought each other in High Charity for several hours, [[Flood]] infected [[Pelican]]s eventually crashed into the holy city, spreading the parasite. Around this time, the High Prophet of Truth left the [[High Prophet of Mercy]] to die at the hands of the Flood, solidifying his place as the autocrat of the Covenant.<ref name="gravemind">'''Halo 2''', campaign level ''[[Gravemind (level)|Gravemind]]''</ref> The chaos was further intensified when Truth abandoned High Charity in the [[Anodyne Spirit|Forerunner Dreadnought]] on a journey to [[Earth]], disconnecting it from the grid, leaving the entire city in the dark without power amongst the Flood. Clarity, 'Klemmee, and the rest of their small group would later escape High Charity aboard a stolen supply ship, ''[[Journey's Sustenance]]''.<ref>'''Halo: Broken Circle''', ''page 250''</ref> High Charity fell to the Flood, leaving the Covenant without a capital and the dying San'Shyuum without a homeworld. Sangheili ships attempted to quarantine the region of space around High Charity, preventing any possibly infected ships from leaving, while also shooting down enemy Jiralhanae ships.
*The UNSC [[Prowler]] ''[[Dusk]]'' witnesses the battle between Elite and Brute held ships above [[Delta Halo]], both fighting each other pausing only to escalate an immediate outbreak of the [[Flood]] from the ringworld and links up with [[Battlegroup Stalingrad]].
 
*[[Major Domo]] [[Voro 'Mantakree]] kills his [[Ship Master]], [[Tano 'Inanraree]], while he is attempting to allow the [[Flood]] to enter the ship. He then assumes command of the ship, the ''[[Incorruptible]]'', and becomes the ''de facto'' leader of the ''[[Second Fleet of Homogeneous Clarity]]''. He leads his new forces to ''[[Joyous Exultation]]'', pursued by the [[Brute]] [[Gargantum]] and his ships.
===Broadening conflict===
*[[Imperial Admiral]] [[Xytan 'Jar Wattinree]] plans to lure the [[Brute]] leadership to Joyous Exultation and plans an ambush for them. He deploys the newly-promoted [[Fleet Master]] [[Voro Nar 'Mantakree]] to [[Onyx]] to recover the [[Forerunner]] technologies there and prevent the UNSC forces there from claiming it themselves. A NOVA bomb captured by the Supercarrier ''[[Sublime Transcendence]]'' devastates the planet moments after Mantakree's forces leave, the survivors joining Mantakree at Onyx.<ref>''[[Halo:Ghosts of Onyx]]'', pages 244-245</ref>
Conflict occurred all across Covenant space, including from within [[Covenant starship|ships]] themselves. Notably, one [[Unidentified Shipmaster (Righteous Vigilance)|Sangheili Shipmaster]] grabbed the [[Prophet of Conviction|Prophet]] aboard his ship, having barged into his cabin, and executed him before the rest of the crew. [[Chol Von]], a [[T'vaoan]] [[Shipmaster|shipmistress]], captured a [[Phantom]], killing two [[Sangheili]] in the process.<ref>'''Halo: Mortal Dictata''', ''page 73''</ref>  She renamed her [[missionary ship]] ''[[Paragon|Joyous Discovery]]'' as ''Paragon''.<ref name="md141">'''[[Halo: Mortal Dictata]]''', ''page 141''</ref>
'''November 8, 2552:'''
 
*The [[Forerunner Dreadnought]] arrives in the [[Solar System]], and proceeds on course towards Earth at near-relativistic speeds<ref>http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=16989</ref>
At the onset of the conflict,{{Ref/Game|Id=Target03|HINF|[[High Value Target]] dossier, [[Okro 'Vagaduun]]}} the [[Bloodbrave Guardians of Suban]] on [[Suban]] were attacked by loyalist forces on the orders of the Hierarchs, with all but [[Okro 'Vagaduun|one member]] of the organization being killed in the attack.{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22P458|Enc22|Page=458}}
'''November 17, 2552:'''
 
*The Forerunner Dreadnought enters [[Earth]]'s atmosphere, and [[John-117]] bails out, landing in the Kenyan jungles.<ref>http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=16989</ref>
Covenant ships in orbit above both [[Tribute]]{{Ref/Site|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/locations/tribute|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Tribute}} and [[Reach]] would begin firing at one another.{{Ref/Book|Enc22|Page=43}}
 
The civil war was at first a conflict over orthodoxy and leadership, as [[Imperial Admiral]] [[Xytan 'Jar Wattinree]] summoned many Sangheili to [[Joyous Exultation]] in a plot to wipe out the Jiralhanae. However, a revelation among the Sangheili occurred when Thel 'Vadam's [[Fleet of Retribution|contingent]] discovered the truth that the Halos would kill all life in the galaxy and that the Great Journey was a lie, from both the [[Gravemind]] and [[343 Guilty Spark]]. Their disillusionment changed their goal from reforming the purity of the Covenant to actively standing against the [[Covenant religion]] the following day. Wattinree's separatist forces would be destroyed in the meantime in the accidental [[NOVA bomb]]ing of Joyous Exultation and the [[Onyx Conflict]].
 
===Sangheili-human alliance===
[[File:HLC The Great Schism.jpg|250px|thumb|left|One of the Sangheili leaders, [[Arbiter]] [[Thel 'Vadam]], duels against the Jiralhanae leader [[Tartarus]].]]
On [[Installation 05]], [[Avery Johnson|Sergeant Major Avery Johnson's]] [[Marine]]s met [[Arbiter]] [[Thel 'Vadam|Thel 'Vadam's]] forces and united to prevent the [[Chieftain of the Jiralhanae]], [[Tartarus]], from activating Delta Halo and firing the Halo Array.{{Ref/Level|Id=journey|H2|[[The Great Journey]]}} The Arbiter fought Tartarus face to face, while Johnson picked away at the Jiralhanae's shields with a [[beam rifle]] from afar. After killing Tartarus, the Arbiter solidified this alliance of circumstance by bringing in all local Sangheili forces to side with Commander [[Miranda Keyes]] and the UNSC. A shaky alliance between these Sangheili and their former foes, the [[human]]s, was forged out of necessity and revenge against the Covenant to some extent.{{Ref/Level|H3|[[The Covenant (level)|The Covenant]]|Quote=I will have my revenge on a Prophet, not a plague!}} Both sides had two common enemies that wished for their extinction: the Covenant and the Flood. Meanwhile, [[Rtas 'Vadum]] led a strike team of Sangheili to capture the ''[[Shadow of Intent]]'' from the Jiralhanae as a flagship for their local forces, forming the [[Fleet of Retribution]].
 
The Fleet of Retribution stayed behind on Delta Halo to quarantine the Flood outbreak by [[glassing]] the surface, while the Arbiter joined the UNSC forces back to Earth to chase the High Prophet of Truth. Truth was excavating [[Portal at Voi|the Forerunner artifact]] on Earth that Regret had discovered nearly a month prior and was seeking to use it to travel to the Ark to fire all the Halo rings. Weeks later on November 17, the devastated [[UNSC Home Fleet]] attempted a last-ditch assault on Truth's Forerunner Dreadnought, which had integrated with the portal artifact. This attack failed while a [[Indulgence of Conviction|Flood-controlled battlecruiser]] crashed in [[Voi]] only moments after Truth's Dreadnaught and the rest of his fleet entered the [[Slipspace portal|portal]] generated by the artifact.<ref>'''[[Halo 3]]''', campaign level ''[[The Storm]]''</ref>
 
The Sangheili [[Fleet of Retribution]], led by [[Shipmaster]] [[Rtas 'Vadum]], arrived at Earth in pursuit of the Flood infested cruiser. Several Sangheili were deployed to assist the UNSC forces in containing the Flood in Voi from spreading across the entire planet. After the allied forces were airborne, the Fleet of Retribution glassed the city and its environs under the order of Shipmaster 'Vadum, Arbiter Thel 'Vadam had persuaded him that only glassing the local area was necessary as opposed to the whole planet. This led to a debate between Shipmaster 'Vadum and [[Fleet Admiral]] [[Lord Terrence Hood]]. The Sangheili and Commander Miranda Keyes' forces agreed to follow Truth to the Ark beyond the portal.<ref name="floodgate">'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[Floodgate]]''</ref>{{clear}}
 
====The Ark====
[[File:TruthDeath-large.jpg|thumb|250px|The death of the Prophet of Truth.]]
The joint Sangheili-UNSC fleet arrived at the Halo Array's control center, [[Ark]] [[Installation 00]], on December 11 where they engaged [[Truth's fleet]]. During the [[Battle of Installation 00|ensuing conflict]], the Fleet of Retribution completely destroyed their Jiralhanae counterpart in the space battle, despite the latter's three-to-one numerical superiority.<ref name="ark">'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[The Ark (level)|The Ark]]''</ref>
 
Sangheili ground forces were later deployed to the [[Battle of the Citadel|final battle]] of the war, riding in green colored {{Pattern|Ru'swum|Phantom}}s to match the UNSC, and helped Spartan John-117 disable the shield generators protecting the installation's [[Installation 00 Citadel|Citadel]] where the High Prophet of Truth was hiding. As the Sangheili forces killed many Jiralhanae, John-117 and Arbiter Thel 'Vadam entered the Citadel and fought through what remained of Truth's personal guard. Truth desperately communicated holographic messages to his followers, blaming the [[Sangheili|heretics]] and the parasite. After reaching the control panel the Arbiter discovered that the Hierarch had been infected by the Flood; as the High Prophet slipped in and out of lucidity, 'Vadam exchanged a few words with him before stabbing him through the back with his [[Energy Sword]].<ref name="cove">'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[The Covenant (level)|The Covenant]]''</ref> The High Prophet of Truth and his forces were dead, effectively dissolving the Covenant.
 
With the war over, Shipmaster 'Vadum evacuated the remaining Sangheili and human forces aboard his flagship, the ''[[Shadow of Intent]]'', and left Master Chief John-117 and the Arbiter behind to deal with the Flood at their request. Any remaining Covenant forces were presumed to be killed when Halo [[Installation 08]] was activated and the Ark was severely damaged by the debris; though a few remnants held out in the ''[[Anodyne Spirit]]'' and had miraculously managed survived even years after the war.{{Ref/Book|[[Sacrifice]]}} The firing of the incomplete ring had also ended the threat of the Flood. The Master Chief, the Arbiter, and the AI [[Cortana]] had escaped on the frigate {{UNSCShip|Forward Unto Dawn}}, which was split in half when their escape portal closed too early.<ref name="h3 halo">'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[Halo (Halo 3 level)|Halo]]''</ref>
 
==Aftermath==
===Continuation of hostilities===
[[File:Escalation schism.png|thumb|200px|left|An Elite fights against a Brute raiding his settlement.]]
{{Main|Sangheili-Jiralhanae war}}


===Late 2552 to Early 2553===
With Truth dead, High Charity destroyed, and the Ark heavily damaged after Installation 08's firing, some of the remaining [[Jiralhanae]] forces tried to rebuild their tattered strength to continue their war of conquest.<ref>'''Halo 3''', multiplayer level ''[[Assembly]]''</ref> The [[San'Shyuum]] eventually abandoned them to hide from the vengeful wrath of the [[Sangheili]], as the Jiralhanae collapsed into various civil wars. The Jiralhanae resorted to raiding Sangheili settlements, plundering resources for survival. Some Sangheili commanders kept up the offensive against them for at least another six years, even as they continued to lose irreplaceable warships and the war continued with no end in sight.{{Ref/Reuse|The Return}}
*[[Battle of Voi]]
*The [[Flood]] infest Voi, only to be contained by the [[Sangheili Fleet|Fleet of Retribution]]
*[[Battle of the Ark|Battle of Installation 00]].
*All Loyalist vessels destroyed over the Ark by the Separatist Fleet.
*The final Covenant religious leader, the [[Prophet of Truth]], is executed by the Arbiter with help from the Flood. The Master Chief stops the Ark from firing the Halo Rings.
*High Charity is destroyed by the Master Chief after he blasts the city's main reactors causing them to go critical.
*[[Rtas 'Vadum]] evacuates all humans and Sangheili via the [[Shadow of Intent]], back to Earth.
*The Battle of [[Installation 04 (II)]]. Thel 'Vadam, [[Master Chief]] and Johnson battle to the control room of [[Installation 04 (II)]]. Guilty Spark runs [[rampant]], killing Johnson before being subsequently destroyed by John-117. Installation 04(II)'s Sentinels turned on the Master Chief, Thel 'Vadam, and the Elites. The unfinished Installation 04 is activated, damaging the Ark and destroying the entire local Flood infestation including the [[Gravemind]]. These final events ended The Human-Covenant War.
*The Master Chief, Cortana, and Thel 'Vadam escape but only Thel 'Vadam gets back to Earth. The Master Chief and Cortana are drifting in between Earth and The Ark due to the portal closing. They are inside the back half of [[Forward Unto Dawn]], and no one on Earth knows what happened to them.


===2553===
{{clear}}
'''March 3''':
*The [[Humans]] and the [[Elites]] make a memorial near Mt. Kilimanjaro on planet Earth to commemorate those who were lost in the Battle of the [[Ark]], while also serving as a small memorial for those lost in the Human-Covenant war. The memorial has the number 117 engraved on it in the corner. It might have been engraved by a [[Close Quarters Combat Weapon System|Combat Knife]], or even Thel 'Vadam as a mark of friendship.


==Trivia==
==Timeline==
*The term "Great Schism" is taken from [[wikipedia:Schism_(religion)|human religious debates]] over orthodoxy and power, most notably the [[wikipedia:East-West_Schism|East-West Schism]], the [[wikipedia:Western_Schism|Western Schism]], and the [[wikipedia:Old_Believers Old|Believers Schism]]. The [[wikipedia:Sunni-Shia_relations|Sunni-Shia split]] is also often called a Schism.
===2552===
*In Contact Harvest the [[Prophet of Truth]] foreshadows the Schism, noting that if the [[Elite]]s ever separated from the Covenant that the entire government would collapse.
'''September 22:'''
*Throughout the [[Halo 3: ODST]] Mombasa Streets levels, you can find dead [[Sanghelli]] bodies in various corners of the map. In particular, during the first [[Eddie Buck|Buck]] flashback mission, he comes across some dead Sanghelli and comments to [[Veronica Dare|Dare]] about it. Oddly enough, seeing as how the game begins just six hours after the [[Prophet of Regret]] slipspace-jumps away, this would mean that either the entirety of sans-Earth [[Halo 2]] took place in the period of six hours, or that [[Jiralhanae]] had started killing Sanghelli before the Schism took place.&nbsp; However, [[Buck]]'s story takes place only minutes after the drop.
*[[Installation 04]] is destroyed by [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] forces. Its [[monitor]], [[343 Guilty Spark]], escapes to [[Threshold]]. The [[Fleet of Particular Justice]] is damaged. The fleet's secondary flagship, the ''[[Ascendant Justice]]'', is captured by humans.<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 96'' (2010 edition)</ref>
*A [[Covenant]] artifact retrieval team led by [[Sesa 'Refumee]] is investigating a [[Threshold gas mine|Forerunner gas mine]] in Threshold's atmosphere when he encounters 343 Guilty Spark. Inspired by Spark's words, 'Refumee and his team [[Sesa 'Refumee's heretic faction|go into open rebellion]] against the [[Hierarchs|High Prophets]] of the Covenant.<ref>'''[[Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary]]''', ''[[Terminal (Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary)|Terminal 11]]''</ref>


== Sources ==
'''October 20:'''
<references/>
*[[Thel 'Vadam]]ee, the [[Supreme Commander]] of the Fleet of Particular Justice, is tried before the [[High Council]] and sentenced to death. However, the [[Prophet of Truth|High Prophet of Truth]] overrides the Council and makes the Supreme Commander an [[Arbiter]] of the Covenant. Truth then sends him to kill Sesa 'Refumee and destroy his rebellion, which they dub "[[List of known Covenant heretics|heresy]]".<ref>'''Halo 2''', campaign level ''[[The Arbiter]]''</ref>
*Start of the [[Battle of Earth]]. The defeated [[Prophet of Regret|High Prophet of Regret]] is forced to retreat to [[Installation 05]], pursued by the {{UNSCShip|In Amber Clad}}.<ref>'''Halo 2''', campaign level ''[[Metropolis]]''</ref>
*Moments after Regret's withdrawal, Jiralhanae within the Covenant forces quickly kill all Sangheili and seize control of the Covenant forces on Earth under secret orders of the Prophet of Truth.{{Ref/Reuse|oct20}}
*The Arbiter and a [[Special Operations Commander]], [[Rtas 'Vadum]]ee lead a team of [[Covenant Special Operations|Special Operations]] forces to Threshold, where they kill Sesa 'Refumee and successfully crush his rebellion.<ref>'''Halo 2''', campaign level ''[[The Oracle]]''</ref>


==Related Links==
'''October 21:'''
===Internal Links===
*The Prophet of Truth's Jiralhanae-led reinforcement fleet arrives at Earth and starts the excavation of the [[Portal at Voi|Ark Portal]]. They kill all remaining Sangheili in the city.{{Ref/Reuse|odst}}
*[[Covenant]]
*[[Elites]]
*[[Brutes]]
*[[Prophets]]


===External Links===
'''November 2:'''
*The [[John-117|Master Chief]] tracks down and kills the Prophet of Regret on Installation 05.<ref>'''Halo 2''', campaign level ''[[Regret (Halo 2 level)|Regret]]''</ref>
*[[High Charity]] and its [[High Charity defense fleet|defense fleet]] arrive at Installation 05. Witnessing the assassination of the Prophet of Regret, the Prophet of Truth [[Changing of the Guard|replaces]] the [[Covenant Honor Guard]] [[Sangheili]] with [[Jiralhanae]]. Insulted, the [[Sangheili Councilor]]s threaten to resign from the High Council.{{Ref/Reuse|icon}}


'''November 3:'''
*The Arbiter and Tartarus are sent to retrieve Installation 05's [[activation index]]. The Arbiter successfully takes the index, but Tartarus tries to kill him and takes the index from him, having been secretly ordered to do so by the Prophet of Truth.<ref>'''Halo 2''', campaign level ''[[Quarantine Zone]]''</ref>
*Most of the Sangheili Councilors are taken to the surface of Installation 05 where they are murdered by the [[Jiralhanae]].{{Ref/Reuse|uprising}}
*The Prophet of Truth transfers command of the [[Covenant military]] to the Jiralhanae, while Tartarus declares war on the Sangheili, and the [[Fall of High Charity]] begins. Fighting between Sangheili and Jiralhanae forces breaks out all over High Charity. As word spreads, fighting takes place throughout the fleet, as Sangheili and Jiralhanae controlled ships attack one another.{{Ref/Reuse|gravemind}}
*The [[Flood]] invade High Charity during the battle, entering the city's dome via precision [[Slipstream space|slipspace]] jump aboard {{UNSCShip|In Amber Clad}} and its embarked [[D77-TC Pelican|Pelicans]]. The [[Prophet of Mercy|High Prophet of Mercy]] is attacked by a [[Pod infector]] and abandoned by the Prophet of Truth, who now reigns as the Covenant's sole leader.{{Ref/Reuse|gravemind}}
*Tartarus attempts to activate [[Installation 05]] by forcing [[Miranda Keyes|Commander Miranda Keyes]] to insert the Index into the Control Room's [[The Core|Core]].{{Ref/Reuse|journey}}
*Thel 'Vadamee, with the aid of [[Avery Johnson|Sergeant Johnson]] and Rtas 'Vadumee, kills Tartarus.{{Ref/Reuse|journey}}
*Commander Keyes aborts the activation of Installation 05, placing the entire [[Halo Array]] on standby status. [[343 Guilty Spark]] reveals the existence of [[Installation 00|the Ark]].{{Ref/Reuse|journey}}
*The Flood takes control of High Charity and many of its warships. [[Jiralhanae]] and [[Sangheili]] fleets remaining around the city-station continue to destroy each other.{{Ref/Reuse|journey}}
*The Prophet of Truth departs High Charity for Earth aboard the Forerunner Dreadnought, to join the [[Battle of Earth]]. The [[Jiralhanae]] forces there are already engaged in fighting with the [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]]. Unbeknown to the [[Prophet of Truth]], John-117 is on the ship, with the intention of "finishing the fight".{{Ref/Reuse|journey}}
*The [[prowler]] ''[[UNSC Dusk|Dusk]]'' witnesses the battle between Sangheili and Jiralhanae held ships above [[Installation 05|Delta Halo]], both fighting each other pausing only to escalate an immediate outbreak of the [[Flood]] from the ringworld. Dusk subsequently flees the battle and links up with [[Patterson's battle group]] at Earth.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 199''</ref>
*[[Sangheili Major]] [[Voro Nar 'Mantakree|Voro 'Mantakree]] kills his [[shipmaster]], [[Tano 'Inanraree]], while he is attempting to allow the [[Flood]] to enter the ship. He then assumes command of the ship, the ''[[Incorruptible]]'', and becomes the ''de facto'' leader of the [[Second Fleet of Homogeneous Clarity]]. He leads his new forces to [[Joyous Exultation]], pursued by the [[Jiralhanae]] [[Gargantum]] and his ships.<ref>'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''page 189''</ref>
*[[Imperial Admiral]] [[Xytan 'Jar Wattinree]] plans to lure the [[Jiralhanae]] leadership to the Sangheili base world [[Joyous Exultation]] and plans an ambush for them. He deploys the newly-promoted [[Fleet Master]] [[Voro Nar 'Mantakree]] to [[Onyx]] to recover the [[Forerunner]] technologies there and prevent the UNSC forces there from claiming it themselves. A [[NOVA bomb]] captured by the [[Sh'wada-pattern supercarrier|supercarrier]] ''[[Sublime Transcendence]]'' devastates the planet moments after 'Mantakree's forces leave, the survivors joining 'Mantakree at Onyx.<ref name="GoO244">'''Halo: Ghosts of Onyx''', ''pages 244-245''</ref>


'''November 8:'''
*The Forerunner Dreadnought arrives in the [[Sol system]], and proceeds on course towards Earth at near-relativistic speeds.<ref name="bnet">[http://halo.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=16989 '''Bungie.net''': ''Bungie Weekly Update: 01/23/09'']</ref>


'''November 17:'''
*The Forerunner Dreadnought enters [[Earth]]'s atmosphere. [[John-117]] ejects from the ship upon reentry, landing in the jungles near [[Mount Kilimanjaro]].{{Ref/Reuse|bnet}}
*[[Battle of Voi]]. The Prophet of Truth uses the Forerunner Dreadnought to activate the Portal, and his loyalist fleet follows it through the portal. The [[Flood]]-infested Voi, only to be contained by the [[Fleet of Retribution|Sangheili fleet]].{{Ref/Reuse|floodgate}}


'''December 11'''
*News spreads wide through Sangheili fleets, who take in some instances up arms against their Prophet escorts and, more widely, against the Jiralhanae.
*Truth and his loyalists arrive at the Ark, pursued by the Sangheili [[Fleet of Retribution]]. [[Battle of Installation 00|A massive battle]] begins over the Ark. All of Truth's vessels are eventually destroyed over the Ark by the Sangheili fleet.{{Ref/Reuse|ark}}
*Sangheili and human forces [[Battle of the Citadel|fight]] their way to the [[Installation 00 Citadel|Citadel]]. The Prophet of Truth, the last Hierarch of the Covenant, is executed by Thel 'Vadam with help from the Flood. John-117 stops the Ark from firing the Halo rings.{{Ref/Reuse|cove}}
*High Charity is [[Raid on High Charity|destroyed]] by John-117 after he overloads the city's main reactors causing them to detonate.{{Ref/Level|Id=cortana|Halo 3|Level=Cortana}}
*[[Rtas 'Vadum]] evacuates all humans and Sangheili, via the ''[[Shadow of Intent]]'', back to Earth.{{Ref/Reuse|cortana}}
*Arbiter Thel 'Vadam, John-117 and [[Avery Johnson|Sergeant Johnson]] [[Raid on Installation 08|battle]] to the [[control room]] of [[Installation 08]]. Guilty Spark runs [[Rampancy|rampant]], killing Johnson before being subsequently destroyed by John-117. Installation 08's sentinels turn on the Spartan, Thel 'Vadam, and the Sangheili. The unfinished Installation 04 is activated, devastating the Ark and destroying the entire local Flood infestation including the [[Gravemind]]. These final events ended the Human-Covenant War.{{Ref/Reuse|h3 halo}}
*John-117, Cortana, and Thel 'Vadam escape the Ark. With their escape vessel, {{UNSCShip|Forward Unto Dawn}} cut in half upon slipspace transition, only Thel 'Vadam gets back to Earth.{{Ref/Reuse|h3 halo}}


==Trivia==
*A "[[Wikipedia:Schism (religion)|schism]]" is a division within a religious sect or denomination. The term "Great Schism" is sometimes used to describe real-world internal religious debates, most notably the [[Wikipedia:East-West Schism|East-West Schism]], which led to the establishment of the [[Wikipedia:Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox Church]], and the [[wikipedia:Western Schism|Western Schism]], which caused a split within the [[Wikipedia:Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic Church]].
*In ''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]'', the [[Prophet of Truth]] foreshadows the Great Schism, noting that if the Sangheili ever separated from the Covenant, the entire government would collapse.<ref>'''Halo: Contact Harvest''', ''page 152''</ref>
*According to the [[Bestiarum]], the [[Unggoy]] were too indecisive to continue the rebellion and the true political motivation of the [[Mgalekgolo]], if any, remained a mystery.
*In ''Halo 3: ODST'', it is implied that the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] was aware of internal conflict within the Covenant from early on. During the level ''[[Tayari Plaza]]'' which takes place on October 20, [[Edward Buck|Buck]] asks [[Veronica Dare|Dare]] about the Sangheili bodies lying around the city, as they appear to have been killed by the Jiralhanae; Dare responds that said information is classified.


==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:H2A - Changing of the Guard.jpg|The Jiralhanae assume the title of Honor Guard from the Sangheili, accelerating the eventual conflict between the two races.
File:H2A - Inevitable betrayal.jpg|Acting on the Prophets' orders, Tartarus and the Brutes betray the Arbiter and claim the "[[Index|Sacred Icon]]".
File:TheReturn_Execution.jpg|The Sangheili watch as the Jiralhanae Chieftains betray and murder their comrades, igniting the Schism.
File:H2A_-_Great_Schism.jpg|Sangheili and Jiralhanae ships war above High Charity.
File:H2A Great Schism.png|Civil war rages among the Covenant around High Charity.
File:H2A Terminals - Great Schism.png|Ships battle over High Charity.
File:H2A ElitesVsBrutes.png|Brutal close-quarters fighting between Sangheili and Jiralhanae soldiers in one of High Charity's [[Valleys of Tears|environmental modules]].
File:H2A MausoleumBattle.png|Sangheili and Jiralhanae clash within High Charity's [[Mausoleum of the Arbiter]].
File:H3 - Retribution Victory vs Truths Fleet.png|The Prophet of Truth's armada prepares to engage the Arbiter's [[Fleet of Retribution]] during the [[Battle of Installation 00]].
File:HRoA4_Volir_Great Schism.png|Shipmaster [[Let 'Volir]] sees the conflict devolve into senseless feuds.
</gallery>


==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo 2]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''
*''[[Halo: Uprising]]''
*''[[Halo 3]]''
*''[[Halo 3: ODST]]''
*''[[Halo Legends]]''
**''[[Origins]]''
*''[[Halo: Evolutions]]''
**''[[The Return]]''
**''[[Wages of Sin]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Glasslands]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: The Thursday War]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Escalation]]''
*''[[Halo: Mortal Dictata]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Broken Circle]]''
*''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]''
**''[[Terminal (Halo 2: Anniversary)|Terminals]]''
*''[[Halo: New Blood]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Hunters in the Dark]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Fractures]]''
**''[[Breaking Strain]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Tales from Slipspace]]''
**''[[Hunting Party]]''
*''[[Halo: Envoy]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Retribution]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Legacy of Onyx]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Shadows of Reach]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[Sacrifice]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Divine Wind]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo Infinite]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Outcasts]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Age of Retribution]]''


==Notes==
{{Ref/Notes}}


==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources|2}}


{{Covenantwars}}
{{Covenantwars}}
[[Category:The Covenant]]
 
[[Category:Wars]]
[[Category:History of the UNSC]]

Latest revision as of 03:08, November 9, 2024

Concurrent:

Human-Covenant War

Next:

Sangheili-Jiralhanae war

Great Schism
H2A - HighCharityBattle Concept.png

Date:

Location:

Orion Arm, Milky Way Galaxy

Outcome:

Sangheili victory

Details
Belligerents
Commanders

High Prophet of Truth†
High Prophet of Mercy†
Prophet of Exquisite Devotion†
Chieftain Tartarus†
Chieftain Gargantum
Chieftain Avitus Captain Melchus

Arbiter Thel 'Vadam
Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum
Unidentified Sangheili Shipmaster[1]
Fleet Master Voro Nar 'Mantakree†
Imperial Admiral Xytan 'Jar Wattinree†
Blademaster Vul 'Soran
Fleetmaster Rojka 'Kasaan

Strength
Casualties
 

"By the Prophets... what have these Brutes done? They have shed our brothers' blood... and for that, they must die!"
— Sangheili on Installation 05.[3]

The Great Schism,[4] also known as the Covenant Schism,[5] was a major civil war between the forces loyal to the Covenant (led by the San'Shyuum and the Jiralhanae) against the Covenant separatists (the Sangheili and their followers), which split apart on November 3, 2552. The High Prophet of Truth ordered the extermination of the entire Sangheili species,[6][7][8] forcing them out of the Covenant.[9] Battles during the Schism took place all throughout Covenant space, most prominently on High Charity, the heart of the alien empire. The Flood additionally played a tertiary role, when they took over the holy city in an effort to assimilate the other warring factions. The deciding battles were fought between the Sangheili Fleet of Retribution allied with the UNSC against the High Prophet of Truth and his remnants of the Covenant on the Ark. The Schism marked both the end of the Covenant and the partition of its client species for a thousand years.[5] For the UNSC, it served as a major turning point that led to the end of the war after their disastrous defeat on Reach.

The conflict went down in Sangheili history as the Great Betrayal,[10] its deep wounds continuing to stir animosity between their kind and the Jiralhanae for years to come.[1]

Background[edit]

Thel 'Vadamee: "We are strong, Kig-Yar. That is why we sit at the right hand of the Prophets."
Reth: "One day that shall pass."
— Conversation between Reth and Thel 'Vadamee in 2535[11]
The Sangheili threatened San'Shyuum power,[12] while the Jiralhanae threatened Sangheili power.[13]

For centuries over the course of the history of the Covenant, various high ranking Sangheili with great influence would use their power to ask questions, eventually coming close to discovering the truth about the Forerunners.[12] Discovering such a truth would falsify the Covenant religion and shatter the empire along with its power structure. As such, the San'Shyuum High Prophets perceived these influential Sangheili as a threat to their authority, and would send them on suicidal missions decorated under the honorary guise of Arbiters to discretely remove their threatening presence.[12]

With this history of troublesome influential Sangheili well documented among the High Prophets, the threat the Sangheili posed was made even more apparent during the Human-Covenant War in 2552, when Sesa 'Refumee's heretic faction spread information about the Great Journey being false.[14] Intending to prevent the Covenant from falling apart and losing power, the High Prophet of Truth secretly made plans to eject the entire Sangheili species from the hegemony, viewing them as untrustworthy and doubting their reliability and loyalty. As the war had waged on, some Sangheili questioned the need to exterminate humanity instead of welcoming them into the Covenant, given humanity's strength as a tenacious species and occasional displays of honor.[15][16] This changing attitude towards mankind who were deemed heretical along with the faliure to safeguard a holy "Sacred Ring", further perpetuated San'Shyuum distrust toward the Sangheili.

The High Prophet of Truth plotted to eventually replace the Sangheili with the Jiralhanae, as he saw the latter as more willing and unquestioning pawns. Ever since the Jiralhanae's integration in 2492, their dominating physicality and aggressive behavior was perceived as a threat by the Sangheili to their superior status in the Covenant hierarchy.[13] In turn, the Sangheili treated the Jiralhanae poorly and oppressed them, to keep them in line.[17] Competition for dominance in the Covenant military and hatred festered between the two species,[13] though the Sangheili maintained their authority and power as a founding race.[18] Feeding off of their societal rivalry, Truth knew that the Jiralhanae would be more than happy to replace the Sangheili as the Covenant's military leaders. He had appointed Tartarus, a loyal Jiralhanae, to the position of Chieftain of the Jiralhanae who would help him execute his plan. Truth kept these schemes to himself and waited until the time was right to implement them.

Secret preparations[edit]

After the High Prophet of Truth learned the location of the human homeworld, he secretly amassed a fleet of over five hundred warships, commanded entirely by Jiralhanae, at the Covenant's command-and-control station Unyielding Hierophant.[19] In September 2552, this station and the fleet were destroyed by Spartan-II Blue Team who learned of its purpose shortly before the invasion could commence.[20] This put a temporary halt to Truth's plans to replace the Sangheili with the Jiralhanae.[21]

At some point, the Prophet of Truth also commissioned the creation of Drekar ships to be used by the Jiralhanae against the Sangheili.[22]

Alpha-Nine member Edward Buck comes across dead Jiralhanae and Sangheili Minors in New Mombasa Sector 6. From Halo 3: ODST campaign level Tayari Plaza.
Edward Buck comes across the aftermath of an early skirmish between Sangheili and Jiralhanae during the Battle of Mombasa.

A month later on October 20, the High Prophet of Regret made a move the High Prophet of Truth did not expect. Having discovered a significant Forerunner artifact on a planet called "Erde-Tyrene" all by himself, but unaware of the fact it was humanity's homeworld known as Earth, Regret took his fleet of only fifteen ships and rushed to "Erde-Tyrene" to investigate it.[21] Immediately after Truth learned of this, he sent the remnants of the fleet he had amassed, to Earth as well. Truth gave his Jiralhanae troops orders to forcibly overtake the Sangheili in command of the remaining forces on and above Earth.

To Regret's surprise, he was invading the human homeworld, resulting in a massive battle forcing him to flee. When Regret retreated from Earth, his Sangheili-led ships in orbit and ground forces continued to engage the United Nations Space Command without his leadership.

Moments after, the Jiralhanae forces within the fleet and on the ground discretely killed all remaining Sangheili on Earth,[23] as Truth had ordered. Vero 'Ahtulai was one among many of these Sangheili victims. They took over the Sangheili's duties to occupy the human city of New Mombasa, until more Jiralhanae reinforcements sent by Truth arrived. As High Charity and the rest of the Covenant fleet were on their way to the newly discovered Halo Installation 05, Delta Halo, the murder of these Sangheili ground forces remained secret from the rest of the Covenant.

Regret arrived at Delta Halo weeks before High Charity and the rest of the Covenant, and indirectly served yet another purpose for Truth plan: to scapegoat the Sangheili.[21] With the arrival of the UNSC In Amber Clad commanded by Commander Miranda Keyes on Delta Halo, the UNSC managed to assassinate the Prophet of Regret in a temple on the Halo ring after they got the intel they needed, with Spartan John-117 carrying out this task.

The Changing of the Guard[edit]

Main article: Changing of the Guard
Kig-Yar and Unggoy protest on High Charity.

After the High Prophet of Regret was killed by the Demon on November 2, 2552, the two remaining Hierarchs reorganized Covenant society. Claiming that the Sangheili could no longer protect the Prophets due to Regret's death, the High Prophet of Truth publicly replaced the Sangheili with the Jiralhanae as the Prophets' protectors. Much to their dismay, all Sangheili Honor Guardsmen were ordered to give away their armor and weapons to the new Jiralhanae Honor Guardsmen. The Sangheili viewed this as a violation of the principle that the Covenant had been founded upon and threatened to resign from the Covenant.[24] Special Operations Commander Rtas 'Vadumee relayed this warning from the Sangheili High Councilors to Truth, who attempted to comfort the situation by calling it a mere "exchange of hats". Several Unggoy and Kig-Yar would join in protest against this change as well.[25]

The High Prophet of Truth further demoted the Sangheili by giving command of their fleets to the Jiralhanae, including the Fleet of Profound Solitude, Fleet of Tranquil Composure and Fleet of Inner Knowledge.[26] Many Sangheili Shipmasters and Fleetmasters would be replaced with new Jiralhanae commanders. Truth allocated more loyal forces to his disposal by pardoning and releasing all Jiralhanae prisoners, while publicly framing it as a celebration for the species newly elevated status in Covenant society.[26]

The Sangheili found these changes to be deeply humiliating, as founding members of the Covenant they were insulted to see their societal status quickly becoming relegated below the Jiralhanae.[27]

War[edit]

Conflict erupts[edit]

"The Great Schism is upon us. The unbreakable Covenant Writ of Union has been split asunder. This is the end of the Ninth, and final, Age."
— Xytan 'Jar Wattinree[4]
The massacre of the Sangheili High Councilors.

The High Prophet of Truth predicted that the High Council would elect a new Hierarch to replace Regret, and so he made his move to eliminate the Sangheili High Councilors to prevent another moderate Prophet from being elected.[28] Once enough Jiralhanae were in place, Truth instigated a pogrom by ordering the assassination of all Sangheili Councilors.[29] Many Sangheili High Councilors and former Honor Guards were ordered to meet in the Control Room of Installation 05 to begin preparing for the Great Journey. However, Jiralhanae Captain Melchus arrived at the Control Room, with a large heavily armed contingent of Jiralhanae, and proceeded to massacre the Councilors and former guardsmen.[30] All Sangheili in the room were killed except for G'torik 'Klemmee who survived a deadly fall and later escaped, the rest were smashed into bloody pieces by gravity hammers. Concurrently, Chieftain of the Jiralhanae Tartarus and his guards attempted to kill Arbiter Thel 'Vadamee in the Library, seizing the Index and knocking him into a deep pit, as ordered by Truth. This would spark the start of the Great Schism.

Word of the massacred Sangheili Councilors immediately spread and was perceived as an insurrection against the Covenant to the Sangheili. The Jiralhanae and other loyalists were led to believe it was a Sangheili revolt, rejecting the Jiralhanae's newly elevated status,[31] and were ordered to exterminate the entire Sangheili species and kill all of them on sight.[6] After the slaughter of the Councilors, war and violence broke out on High Charity, with the two sides polarizing quickly. Video messages of the various massacres were sent to all Sangheili forces,[32] resulting in the entire species learning that they had been forced out of the Covenant.[9] The ships within the High Charity defense fleet began shooting each other down while gunfire erupted aboard the interior of High Charity. At the front lines of the conflict, the species of the Covenant took distinct sides. Those who followed the High Prophets included all San'Shyuum and Jiralhanae (with a few exceptions),[33][34] many Kig-Yar and Yanme'e, some Unggoy, and a few Mgalekgolo. The forces allied with all the Sangheili consisted of many Mgalekgolo, Unggoy and Huragok.[35]

Former Sangheili Honor Guards fight with the Jiralhanae on High Charity.

The Prophet of Exquisite Devotion who had been torturing Sangheili, discovered that the Prophet of Clarity was attempting to aid them. Devotion then attempted to have Clarity executed for treason. However, a group of Sangheili led by G'torik 'Klemmee arrived and rescued the Prophet of Clarity—killing Exquisite Devotion in the process.[36] After the Sangheili-led and Jiralhanae-led forces fought each other in High Charity for several hours, Flood infected Pelicans eventually crashed into the holy city, spreading the parasite. Around this time, the High Prophet of Truth left the High Prophet of Mercy to die at the hands of the Flood, solidifying his place as the autocrat of the Covenant.[37] The chaos was further intensified when Truth abandoned High Charity in the Forerunner Dreadnought on a journey to Earth, disconnecting it from the grid, leaving the entire city in the dark without power amongst the Flood. Clarity, 'Klemmee, and the rest of their small group would later escape High Charity aboard a stolen supply ship, Journey's Sustenance.[38] High Charity fell to the Flood, leaving the Covenant without a capital and the dying San'Shyuum without a homeworld. Sangheili ships attempted to quarantine the region of space around High Charity, preventing any possibly infected ships from leaving, while also shooting down enemy Jiralhanae ships.

Broadening conflict[edit]

Conflict occurred all across Covenant space, including from within ships themselves. Notably, one Sangheili Shipmaster grabbed the Prophet aboard his ship, having barged into his cabin, and executed him before the rest of the crew. Chol Von, a T'vaoan shipmistress, captured a Phantom, killing two Sangheili in the process.[39] She renamed her missionary ship Joyous Discovery as Paragon.[40]

At the onset of the conflict,[41] the Bloodbrave Guardians of Suban on Suban were attacked by loyalist forces on the orders of the Hierarchs, with all but one member of the organization being killed in the attack.[42]

Covenant ships in orbit above both Tribute[43] and Reach would begin firing at one another.[44]

The civil war was at first a conflict over orthodoxy and leadership, as Imperial Admiral Xytan 'Jar Wattinree summoned many Sangheili to Joyous Exultation in a plot to wipe out the Jiralhanae. However, a revelation among the Sangheili occurred when Thel 'Vadam's contingent discovered the truth that the Halos would kill all life in the galaxy and that the Great Journey was a lie, from both the Gravemind and 343 Guilty Spark. Their disillusionment changed their goal from reforming the purity of the Covenant to actively standing against the Covenant religion the following day. Wattinree's separatist forces would be destroyed in the meantime in the accidental NOVA bombing of Joyous Exultation and the Onyx Conflict.

Sangheili-human alliance[edit]

One of the Sangheili leaders, Arbiter Thel 'Vadam, duels against the Jiralhanae leader Tartarus.

On Installation 05, Sergeant Major Avery Johnson's Marines met Arbiter Thel 'Vadam's forces and united to prevent the Chieftain of the Jiralhanae, Tartarus, from activating Delta Halo and firing the Halo Array.[45] The Arbiter fought Tartarus face to face, while Johnson picked away at the Jiralhanae's shields with a beam rifle from afar. After killing Tartarus, the Arbiter solidified this alliance of circumstance by bringing in all local Sangheili forces to side with Commander Miranda Keyes and the UNSC. A shaky alliance between these Sangheili and their former foes, the humans, was forged out of necessity and revenge against the Covenant to some extent.[46] Both sides had two common enemies that wished for their extinction: the Covenant and the Flood. Meanwhile, Rtas 'Vadum led a strike team of Sangheili to capture the Shadow of Intent from the Jiralhanae as a flagship for their local forces, forming the Fleet of Retribution.

The Fleet of Retribution stayed behind on Delta Halo to quarantine the Flood outbreak by glassing the surface, while the Arbiter joined the UNSC forces back to Earth to chase the High Prophet of Truth. Truth was excavating the Forerunner artifact on Earth that Regret had discovered nearly a month prior and was seeking to use it to travel to the Ark to fire all the Halo rings. Weeks later on November 17, the devastated UNSC Home Fleet attempted a last-ditch assault on Truth's Forerunner Dreadnought, which had integrated with the portal artifact. This attack failed while a Flood-controlled battlecruiser crashed in Voi only moments after Truth's Dreadnaught and the rest of his fleet entered the portal generated by the artifact.[47]

The Sangheili Fleet of Retribution, led by Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum, arrived at Earth in pursuit of the Flood infested cruiser. Several Sangheili were deployed to assist the UNSC forces in containing the Flood in Voi from spreading across the entire planet. After the allied forces were airborne, the Fleet of Retribution glassed the city and its environs under the order of Shipmaster 'Vadum, Arbiter Thel 'Vadam had persuaded him that only glassing the local area was necessary as opposed to the whole planet. This led to a debate between Shipmaster 'Vadum and Fleet Admiral Lord Terrence Hood. The Sangheili and Commander Miranda Keyes' forces agreed to follow Truth to the Ark beyond the portal.[48]

The Ark[edit]

The death of the Prophet of Truth.

The joint Sangheili-UNSC fleet arrived at the Halo Array's control center, Ark Installation 00, on December 11 where they engaged Truth's fleet. During the ensuing conflict, the Fleet of Retribution completely destroyed their Jiralhanae counterpart in the space battle, despite the latter's three-to-one numerical superiority.[49]

Sangheili ground forces were later deployed to the final battle of the war, riding in green colored Ru'swum-pattern Phantoms to match the UNSC, and helped Spartan John-117 disable the shield generators protecting the installation's Citadel where the High Prophet of Truth was hiding. As the Sangheili forces killed many Jiralhanae, John-117 and Arbiter Thel 'Vadam entered the Citadel and fought through what remained of Truth's personal guard. Truth desperately communicated holographic messages to his followers, blaming the heretics and the parasite. After reaching the control panel the Arbiter discovered that the Hierarch had been infected by the Flood; as the High Prophet slipped in and out of lucidity, 'Vadam exchanged a few words with him before stabbing him through the back with his Energy Sword.[50] The High Prophet of Truth and his forces were dead, effectively dissolving the Covenant.

With the war over, Shipmaster 'Vadum evacuated the remaining Sangheili and human forces aboard his flagship, the Shadow of Intent, and left Master Chief John-117 and the Arbiter behind to deal with the Flood at their request. Any remaining Covenant forces were presumed to be killed when Halo Installation 08 was activated and the Ark was severely damaged by the debris; though a few remnants held out in the Anodyne Spirit and had miraculously managed survived even years after the war.[51] The firing of the incomplete ring had also ended the threat of the Flood. The Master Chief, the Arbiter, and the AI Cortana had escaped on the frigate UNSC Forward Unto Dawn, which was split in half when their escape portal closed too early.[52]

Aftermath[edit]

Continuation of hostilities[edit]

An Elite fights against a Brute raiding his settlement.
Main article: Sangheili-Jiralhanae war

With Truth dead, High Charity destroyed, and the Ark heavily damaged after Installation 08's firing, some of the remaining Jiralhanae forces tried to rebuild their tattered strength to continue their war of conquest.[53] The San'Shyuum eventually abandoned them to hide from the vengeful wrath of the Sangheili, as the Jiralhanae collapsed into various civil wars. The Jiralhanae resorted to raiding Sangheili settlements, plundering resources for survival. Some Sangheili commanders kept up the offensive against them for at least another six years, even as they continued to lose irreplaceable warships and the war continued with no end in sight.[1]

Timeline[edit]

2552[edit]

September 22:

October 20:

October 21:

  • The Prophet of Truth's Jiralhanae-led reinforcement fleet arrives at Earth and starts the excavation of the Ark Portal. They kill all remaining Sangheili in the city.[23]

November 2:

November 3:

November 8:

  • The Forerunner Dreadnought arrives in the Sol system, and proceeds on course towards Earth at near-relativistic speeds.[64]

November 17:

  • The Forerunner Dreadnought enters Earth's atmosphere. John-117 ejects from the ship upon reentry, landing in the jungles near Mount Kilimanjaro.[64]
  • Battle of Voi. The Prophet of Truth uses the Forerunner Dreadnought to activate the Portal, and his loyalist fleet follows it through the portal. The Flood-infested Voi, only to be contained by the Sangheili fleet.[48]

December 11

  • News spreads wide through Sangheili fleets, who take in some instances up arms against their Prophet escorts and, more widely, against the Jiralhanae.
  • Truth and his loyalists arrive at the Ark, pursued by the Sangheili Fleet of Retribution. A massive battle begins over the Ark. All of Truth's vessels are eventually destroyed over the Ark by the Sangheili fleet.[49]
  • Sangheili and human forces fight their way to the Citadel. The Prophet of Truth, the last Hierarch of the Covenant, is executed by Thel 'Vadam with help from the Flood. John-117 stops the Ark from firing the Halo rings.[50]
  • High Charity is destroyed by John-117 after he overloads the city's main reactors causing them to detonate.[65]
  • Rtas 'Vadum evacuates all humans and Sangheili, via the Shadow of Intent, back to Earth.[65]
  • Arbiter Thel 'Vadam, John-117 and Sergeant Johnson battle to the control room of Installation 08. Guilty Spark runs rampant, killing Johnson before being subsequently destroyed by John-117. Installation 08's sentinels turn on the Spartan, Thel 'Vadam, and the Sangheili. The unfinished Installation 04 is activated, devastating the Ark and destroying the entire local Flood infestation including the Gravemind. These final events ended the Human-Covenant War.[52]
  • John-117, Cortana, and Thel 'Vadam escape the Ark. With their escape vessel, UNSC Forward Unto Dawn cut in half upon slipspace transition, only Thel 'Vadam gets back to Earth.[52]

Trivia[edit]

  • A "schism" is a division within a religious sect or denomination. The term "Great Schism" is sometimes used to describe real-world internal religious debates, most notably the East-West Schism, which led to the establishment of the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Western Schism, which caused a split within the Roman Catholic Church.
  • In Halo: Contact Harvest, the Prophet of Truth foreshadows the Great Schism, noting that if the Sangheili ever separated from the Covenant, the entire government would collapse.[66]
  • According to the Bestiarum, the Unggoy were too indecisive to continue the rebellion and the true political motivation of the Mgalekgolo, if any, remained a mystery.
  • In Halo 3: ODST, it is implied that the Office of Naval Intelligence was aware of internal conflict within the Covenant from early on. During the level Tayari Plaza which takes place on October 20, Buck asks Dare about the Sangheili bodies lying around the city, as they appear to have been killed by the Jiralhanae; Dare responds that said information is classified.

Gallery[edit]

  • The Jiralhanae assume the title of Honor Guard from the Sangheili, accelerating the eventual conflict between the two races.

    The Jiralhanae assume the title of Honor Guard from the Sangheili, accelerating the eventual conflict between the two races.

  • Acting on the Prophets' orders, Tartarus and the Brutes betray the Arbiter and claim the "Sacred Icon".

    Acting on the Prophets' orders, Tartarus and the Brutes betray the Arbiter and claim the "Sacred Icon".

  • The Sangheili watch as the Jiralhanae Chieftains betray and murder their comrades, igniting the Schism.

    The Sangheili watch as the Jiralhanae Chieftains betray and murder their comrades, igniting the Schism.

  • Sangheili and Jiralhanae ships war above High Charity.

    Sangheili and Jiralhanae ships war above High Charity.

  • Civil war rages among the Covenant around High Charity.

    Civil war rages among the Covenant around High Charity.

  • Ships battle over High Charity.

    Ships battle over High Charity.

  • Brutal close-quarters fighting between Sangheili and Jiralhanae soldiers in one of High Charity's environmental modules.

    Brutal close-quarters fighting between Sangheili and Jiralhanae soldiers in one of High Charity's environmental modules.

  • Sangheili and Jiralhanae clash within High Charity's Mausoleum of the Arbiter.

    Sangheili and Jiralhanae clash within High Charity's Mausoleum of the Arbiter.

  • The Prophet of Truth's armada prepares to engage the Arbiter's Fleet of Retribution during the Battle of Installation 00.

    The Prophet of Truth's armada prepares to engage the Arbiter's Fleet of Retribution during the Battle of Installation 00.

  • Shipmaster Let 'Volir sees the conflict devolve into senseless feuds.

    Shipmaster Let 'Volir sees the conflict devolve into senseless feuds.

List of appearances[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ The massacre of the Sangheili on Earth on October 20, 2552 (witnessed in Halo 3: ODST) is regarded as an isolated incident leading up to the Schism, whereas the conflict at large is considered to have begun with the Sangheili's banishment from the Honor Guard and the subsequent outbreak of all-out hostilities within High Charity and its fleets on November 2.

Sources[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe "The Return" - "It was a terrible war. The Prophets provided the Brutes with powerful new weapons, hoping that they would in turn defend their Prophets against our wrath. But when the Prophets went into hiding, the lack of leadership allowed the Brutes to return to their savage nature and they soon began to fight against each other. This lack of solidarity made them much easier prey. Some of my fellow commanders continue that fight even now"
  2. ^ Ghosts of Onyx, chapter 27
  3. ^ Halo 2, campaign level Uprising
  4. ^ a b GoO, page 240
  5. ^ a b GoO, page 245
  6. ^ a b Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, page 25: "...when the High Prophet of Truth appointed the Brutes for his own security, proclaiming the Elites to be heretics deserving extermination."
  7. ^ Halo 2, campaign level Quarantine Zone
  8. ^ Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, page 208
  9. ^ a b Halo Waypoint, Universe: Jiralhanae: "The resulting conflict would be called the Great Schism, and it would divide the Covenant into two, ultimately forcing the Sangheili out." [archive]
  10. ^ Halo: Evolutions, The Return, page 247
  11. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, page 229
  12. ^ a b c Halo 2: Anniversary: Terminal 11: "In some cases, that influence was already being used to question the decisions of your Hierarchs. In fact, that very questioning often gave rise to the charges of heresy that so neatly removed the challenger from the Hierarchs' concern."
  13. ^ a b c Conversations from the Universe: Grunt Conversation "And you have ears, you've heard the disrespect the Jiralhanae show the Sangheili. They hate each other. The Sangheili have lived too long under the shelter of the Covenant as the strongest of us. The Jiralhanae come stomping along and suddenly it's not so simple as it was."
  14. ^ Halo 2: "Our Prophets are false! Open your eyes, my brothers! They would use the faith of our forefathers to bring ruin to us all! The Great Journey is a-"
  15. ^ Cole Protocol, page 247
  16. ^ Halo 2: Conversations from the Universe: Elite Conversation
  17. ^ Gamestop: Halo Wars 2: New Character Images and Details Revealed - "Decimus still harbors some resentment against the Elites under Atriox's banner due to how Elites treated the Brutes during the time of the Covenant"
  18. ^ Bestiarum "The Sangheili are, simply put, technological and societal equals of the Prophets yet, for a significant period, found themselves as the dominant military muscle for the entire Covenant structure"
  19. ^ Halo: First Strike, page 297
  20. ^ Halo: First Strike, page 407
  21. ^ a b c d Halo Waypoint, "Ten Twenty" history article
  22. ^ Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 461
  23. ^ a b Halo 3: ODST, campaign level Coastal Highway
  24. ^ a b Halo 2, campaign level Sacred Icon
  25. ^ Halo 2, campaign level Gravemind (level)
  26. ^ a b Halo Wars, Timeline
  27. ^ Gamestop: Halo Wars 2: New Character Images and Details Revealed - "This arrangement was deeply unpleasant for the Shipmaster, especially since Elites were used to lording over the Brutes during the time of the Covenant..."
  28. ^ Halo Waypoint: High Council
  29. ^ a b Halo 2, campaign level Uprising
  30. ^ Halo: Broken Circle, pages 219-222 (Google Play edition)
  31. ^ Halo Envoy
  32. ^ Halo: Evolutions The Return (Motion Comic) - "We were scouting for humans when the message came in. I could not comprehend what I was seeing. Our betrayal by the Prophets. The Slaughter of our leaders."
  33. ^ Halo: Glasslands, page 55
  34. ^ Halo: Broken Circle
  35. ^ Halo: Evolutions, "Wages of Sin", page 509
  36. ^ Halo: Broken Circle, page 242
  37. ^ a b c Halo 2, campaign level Gravemind
  38. ^ Halo: Broken Circle, page 250
  39. ^ Halo: Mortal Dictata, page 73
  40. ^ Halo: Mortal Dictata, page 141
  41. ^ Halo Infinite, High Value Target dossier, Okro 'Vagaduun
  42. ^ Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 458
  43. ^ Halo Waypoint, Tribute
  44. ^ Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 43
  45. ^ a b c d e f Halo 2, campaign level The Great Journey
  46. ^ Halo 3, campaign level The Covenant: "I will have my revenge on a Prophet, not a plague!"
  47. ^ Halo 3, campaign level The Storm
  48. ^ a b Halo 3, campaign level Floodgate
  49. ^ a b Halo 3, campaign level The Ark
  50. ^ a b Halo 3, campaign level The Covenant
  51. ^ Sacrifice
  52. ^ a b c Halo 3, campaign level Halo
  53. ^ Halo 3, multiplayer level Assembly
  54. ^ Halo: First Strike, page 96 (2010 edition)
  55. ^ Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Terminal 11
  56. ^ Halo 2, campaign level The Arbiter
  57. ^ Halo 2, campaign level Metropolis
  58. ^ Halo 2, campaign level The Oracle
  59. ^ Halo 2, campaign level Regret
  60. ^ Halo 2, campaign level Quarantine Zone
  61. ^ Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, page 199
  62. ^ Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, page 189
  63. ^ Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, pages 244-245
  64. ^ a b Bungie.net: Bungie Weekly Update: 01/23/09
  65. ^ a b Halo 3, campaign level Cortana
  66. ^ Halo: Contact Harvest, page 152

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Wars in Covenant history
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