The history ofThe Elder Scrollsis vast and filled with so much blood and tears from all the wars and battles that have happened over the years. The races of Tamriel have fought each other since the beginning of time for various reasons. Some defend their respective provinces from invaders, some seek to conquer and have control of more land, andsome seek revengeagainst those who have wronged them.
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Things are a little tense right now with the White-Gold Concordat weakening the Empire. It can be assumed that only more battles and wars will continue to happen inThe Elder Scrolls, but there are some battles that fans should really know about first.
10Nordic-Falmer War (Merethic Era)
When the Atmorans (ancient Nords) first came to Tamriel, they landed in Skyrim where the Falmer/Snow Elves lived. The races lived together pretty peacefully for a short time, but, for reasons unknown, the Snow Elves ambushed and slaughtered almost all the Atmorans in an event known as the Night of Tears.
Some accounts believe the reason revolves around the Eye of Magnus artifact that the Atmorans found in Saarthal and that the Snow Elves wanted its power all for themselves. Ysgramor, an Atmoran warrior, was the only survivor and sailed back to Atmora where he, his sons, and 500 Companions sailed back to Skyrim to fight the Snow Elves.
Both sides were on relatively equal grounds, but all that changed during the Battle of Moersing. The Snow Prince, leader of the Snow Elves,died in this battleand this proved to be the turning point. After losing this battle, the Snow Elves were either slaughtered by the Atmorans or went into hiding to live with the Dwemer.
9Dragon War (Merethic Era)
This war was between the Dragons who dominated the land of Skyrim andruled it along with their Dragon Priests.The Nords were slaves to them and had no choice but to follow them to live. They built temples to honor the dragons and many are still up in present-day Skyrim.
However, the Dragon Priests gradually became more tyrannical in their rule, and eventually, the Nords rebelled against them. Paarthurnax, Alduin’s brother and former lieutenant, turned on his dragon brethren and taught the Nords the Thu’um/Shouts to fight. Thanks to him, the Nords were able to win the war and be free.
8Alessian Slave Rebellion (1E 242 - 1E 243)
The rebellion that’s responsible for driving the Ayleids to near extinction. The Alessian Slave Rebellion was started by Alessia, a slave to Daedra-worshipping Ayleids who prayed to Akatosh and other Divines for freedom. The Divines answered her prayers and gave her three visions which led to her rebellion.
Alessia received the help of Morihaus, a demigod, andPelinal Whitestrake, a mysterious warriorwho was already fighting the Ayleids on his own. The two of them became her champions. Alessia also received some help from rebel Ayleid lords as well as the people of Skyrim.
The rebellion was ultimately a successful one and Alessia would go on to become the first Empress of the new Cyrodiilic empire. She had both man and Ayleid advisors on her council and created the Eight Divines pantheon to appease both races.
7War Of The First Council (1E 668 - 1E 700)
This war is mostly known for its climactic battle, the Battle of Red Mountain, because it isthe last appearance of the Dwemer.They waged war against the Chimer Great Houses over the Heart of Lorkhan, a magical stone that is supposedly the heart of the trickster god, Lorkhan.
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The Dwemer planned to use the heart to power the Numidium: a colossal construct they created. There are various accounts about the war from Vivec, the Ashlanders, and the Nords, and they have some differences. Regardless, the Chimer were led by Lord Indoril Nerevar against the Dwemer to prevent them from using the Heart.
During the Battle of Red Mountain, Kagrenac, a Dwemer Craftlord, struck the Heart of Lorkhan and he and the Dwemer disappeared. Since then, none of them have been on Tamriel. The only known living Dwemer is Yagrum Bagarn, who is seen inThe Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Even he doesn’t know what happens to his people because he was in another realm at the time that the Battle of Red Mountain took place.
6Ra Gada Invasion (1E 780 - Approx. 1E 853)
Beforethe sinking of Yokuda,the ancient Redguards/Yokudan homeland, Frandar Hunding and his army of Sword-Singers sailed to Tamriel and landed in present-day Hammerfell. Seeing that goblin tribes called it home, Frandar and his army refused to live with them and began a war with them. Frandar would die during this time, but his son Divad continued and won.
After the sinking of Yokuda, waves and waves of Yokudans came to Hammerfell and waged war against the Nedes, Orcs, and Bretons who also lived in the province. They were extremely merciless against any and all elven races, having a deep prejudice against them. This prejudice stemmed from having suffered under the rule of and fighting against the Lefthanded/Sinistral Elves for thousands of years on Yokuda.
5The Planemeld (2E 578 - 2E 583)
The Planemeld happened when the Daedric Prince of Domination, Molag Bal attempted to take over Tamriel. He sent Daedra to the Imperial City and took over it for a time while he attempted to merge his realm and Nirn. Thanks to his Dark Anchors, the souls of the deceased were taken to his realm and gave him more power. During this time, The Three Banners War was going on which gave him more power. The Fighters Guild stopped taking contracts and focused their attention on destroying the Dark Anchors.
Eventually, an agreement was reached between the Aldmeri Dominion, Daggerfall Covenant, and Ebonheart Pact, and the main focus was stopping Molag Bal. The Mages Guild and Fighters Guild invadedhis realm of Coldharbour.The Daedric Prince of Light, Meridia assisted them and was a key factor in the victory. The Vestige (the player-character inThe Elder Scrolls) would defeat Molag Bal and save Tamriel from his tyranny.
4The Tiber Wars (2E 852 - 2E 896)
The Tiber Wars are mostly known for Tiber Septim setting out to conquer all of Tamriel under one rule. It was started by warlord Culhecain, a king from Falkreath who wanted to claim the Imperial throne during the Interregnum. After his death, Tiber Septim continued the campaign and conquered each province one by one.
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To take over Hammerfell, Tiber Septim backed the Forebears during their war with the Crowns which led to the death of Prince A’Tor. Though he wasn’t able to fully conquer Black Marsh’s innermost land, his armies were able to take over the outer land which is what led to it being merged with the Empire.
Tiber Septim knew of the Tribunal and their power which made him hesitant to conquer Morrowind, but he went through with his plans and fought against the Great Houses who opposed him. An agreement was reached between him and the Tribunal which Vivec gifted him with the Numidium to use to take over the Summerset Isles. He used this colossus to siege Alinor, the capital of the Summerset Isles and it is recorded to have fallen within an hour. With this victory, all of Tamriel was united and Tiber Septim became thefirst Emperor of all of Tamriel, marking the beginning of the Third Era.
3Oblivion Crisis (3E 433)
Beginning with the assassination of Emperor Uriel Septim VII and his sons, the Mythic Dawn, a Daedric cult, began toopen Oblivion Gates all across Tamrielunder the orders of Mehrunes Dagon, the Daedric Prince of Destruction. The city of Kvatch in Cyrodiil was completely destroyed, but further destruction was prevented by the Hero of Kvatch/player-character.
The Crystal Tower in the Summerset Isles was destroyed as well as the city of Ald’ruhn in Morrowind. It was learned that Uriel Septim VII had an illegitimate son named Martin and he was found to become the new emperor and relight the Dragonfires, which provided barriers from invasions from Oblivion.
During the final battle in the Imperial City, Mehrunes Dagon himself appeared and Martin Septim smashed the Amulet of Kings to become an avatar of Akatosh, the Dragon God of Time. As Akatosh, Martin was able to send Mehrunes Dagon back to Oblivion and end the Crisis, but at the cost of his own life and ending the Septim bloodline.
2Accession War (4E 6)
The Accession War didn’t last for long, but it showed that the Argonians are a force to be reckoned with. After the eruption of Red Mountain and Oblivion Crisis, the Argonians were led bythe political faction known as the An-Xileelto Morrowind to get revenge against the weakened Dark Elves.
This wasn’t just a random invasion, but instead, revenge against the Dunmer for keeping Argonians as slaves for thousands of years. The Argonians were able to take over most of southern Morrowind and slaughtered thousands of Dark Elves, destroying many settlements in the process.
House Redoran was able to fight back and stop the invasion, taking back Mournhold which had been taken by the Argonians. It’s unknown if other conquered areas were taken back or not, but most of the Dunmer have fled Morrowind because of Red Mountain’s eruption.
1The Great War (4E 171 - 4E 176)
The Great War was fought between the third Aldmeri Dominion and the Empire led by Emperor Titus Mede II. With a weakened Empire (due to the Septim line being gone), the Thalmor demanded tributes, the disbandment of the Blades, and the end of Talos worship. Mede refused, despite his advisors advising him not to, andthe Great War began.
With Valenwood and Elsweyr part of the Dominion and Hammerfell having its own civil war, the only strong provinces in the Empire were Skyrim, Cyrodiil, and High Rock. Morrowind suffered greatly after the Oblivion Crisis and was still recovering, and Black Marsh was independent after the Crisis.
The Dominion was successful in taking over the Imperial City, but the Forgotten Hero (the player-character inThe Elder Scrolls Legends) disguised as Emperor Mede (who was incapacitated) led the armies to take back the city and were successful. This victory led to the Empire and Dominion signing a treaty known as the White-Gold Concordat in which Mede agreed to all demands of the Thalmor. This treaty was controversial and is what led to Hammerfell leaving the Empire, and Skyrim having its own civil war between the Stormcloaks and the Empire.
