History of the Covenant

The Covenant, like almost all cultures, keeps a record of their history using their own methods of timekeeping. Unfortunately, the exact measures, if any, of these are a mystery, and there are hints that there may be multiple divisions of each age (9th Age of Reclamation, for example.) What is known is that the Covenant divide their recorded time into seven Ages, divided based on notable events within each, and that they believe that the Age of Reclamation will be the last of the ages, when the Covenant will fracture.

The Ages
The Covenant traces its history back at least 100,000 years, when an ancient species (not yet comfirmed as aliens) called the Forerunner activated the Halo installations, disappearing from the galaxy. This is referred to as the Age of Abandonment by the Covenant.

At some point before the Covenant’s formation, the Sangheili and Prophets waged war against each other, apparently in a power struggle, in what is called the Age of Conflict. The details of this period of time remain unknown. What is known is that the Prophets' discovery of ancient Forerunner artifacts during the Age of Discovery, and the end of the war during the Age of Reconciliation , became the foundation on which the Covenant was founded upon. The Prophets promised to find the means of the Forerunners' transcendence and the Elites promised to protect the hierarchs. These ages marked the beginnings of the Covenant, the start of the Covenant’s search for Forerunner artifacts, and presumably the Covenant Writ of Union.

These were followed by the Age of Conversion. , where the Covenant started their subjugation of other species in their search for Forerunner artefacts, incorporating them into their society, adding their strengths to their own. It is likely that the Taming of the Hunters occurred during this time period, requiring the creation of an Arbiter, along with the incorporation of the Unggoy, Kig-Yar, Yanme’e and Huragok.

The Age of Doubt is speculated to be a period during which many of the Covenant began to lose faith in their mission, and it is likely that the Grunt Rebellion took place during this period, necessitating the creation of another Arbiter. Details of this period are not known.

The 9th Age of Reclamation was marked by the Human-Covenant War, and the incorporation of the Jiralhanae. The reasons for the war are currently unknown, though the subjugation of the Brutes led in turn to another major event – the Civil War of the Covenant, otherwise known as the Great Schism, with the expulsion of the Sangheili from the Covenant and their (at least grudging ) alliance with the UNSC. It also marks the discovery of several Forerunner installations (Alpha and Delta Halo installations, Shield World, and the Ark). The name may originate from the belief that humans are Reclaimers.