Chapters were a subgroup of a Legion, Mr. Timeline.
Legion-Chapter-Battalion-Company-Squad.
The space-knight motif was a part of their original design just as the Legion was. Hell, the Dark Angels, Legion I mind you, took the feudal world Caliban as their home and many of them were literally knights… Cypher.
It wasn’t as strong a motif, but guess what also developed as a tradition over the Crusade era?
They’re kind of a minor facet of the Imperium and pretty rare so I can see how you might miss them:
https://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Space_Marines
Oh you mean the Legions, with structure, ranks and titles based on Roman legions?
Noob.
Rude.
The Emperor created Legions, not the chapters which was Guilliman, and they were very clearly inspired by Roman legions.
Specific chapters have knightly themes but only the First Legion had those themes from their inception.
It helps if you get your timeline right.
Chapters were a subgroup of a Legion, Mr. Timeline.
Legion-Chapter-Battalion-Company-Squad.
The space-knight motif was a part of their original design just as the Legion was. Hell, the Dark Angels, Legion I mind you, took the feudal world Caliban as their home and many of them were literally knights… Cypher.
It wasn’t as strong a motif, but guess what also developed as a tradition over the Crusade era?
The Emperor created Legions, that some of those Legions evolved into something culturally resembling Knights Militant is really irrelevant.
Especially given that most of this cultural shift occurred during the collapse of the Empire. The first legion is the exception that proves the rule.
They adopted Knight motifs after Caliban. Which again was not planned, as the Emperor had no choice in where the Primarchs were scattered.
Your claim is that the Emperor deliberately recreated orders of Knights Militant is demonstrably wrong. He made Roman-esque legions.
Please point out the Black Templars next. You know, the chapter that didn’t exist until post heresy where the Emperor had no say in the matter.
All this was a deliberate choice by the history buff nerds at GW because guess which order things happened IRL.
Ugh, fucking noobs