User:XW3 AR3 L3GION/Great Schism (L3GION)

"Those beasts that filled the skies, greater in numbers than us or the humans. They turned on each other, each desperate to claim leadership over the others. And so our dark skies were filled with violence and treachery"

- Unknown Sangheili Warlord

The Great Schism, otherwise known as the Great Betrayal and then later named the Covenant Civil War, was a major internal conflict in the Covenant Empire between the Covenant Loyalists and Covenant Separatists. During the first phase of the Great Schism, the fighting primarily occurred between the Jiralhanae-led forces who were loyal to the San 'Shyuum and the breakaway Sangheili-led forces and their newfound human allies. However, when the Sangheili conducted their strategic withdrawal of all Sangheili - military and civilian - did the Jiralhanae begin to fight amongst themselves beginning the Covenant Civil War.

The Jiralhanae-against-Jiralhanae Civil War lasted approximately ten years and two months before the simple chaos of the civil war formed into recognisable borders. It was then the leaders of each faction realised that the resources needed to maintain their flegding empire and to defend it from its neighbours beginning the Resource Wars.