Lore:Third Era Wars

Merethic Era — First Era — Second Era — Third Era — Fourth Era

The following is a list of all known wars and conflicts during the Third Era.

The War of the Isle

3E 110

The War of the Isle was a conflict in the early-mid Third Era in which King Orgnum of the island-kingdom, Pyandonea attacked the Summerset Isles in their closest attempt to claim the province. The war took place in 3E 110, twelve years into Emperor Antiochus Septim's reign and later involved both the Third Empire and the Psijic Order of Artaeum.

The War of the Red Diamond

3E 120 - 3E 127

Kintyra II became Empress on the death of her father, Antiochus, in 3E 120. Her uncles, Cephorus King of Gilane and Magnus King of Lilmoth, attended the coronation, but her aunt, Queen Potema of Solitude, was banished after insulting Kintyra in front of the Elder Council. Potema was scheming to obtain the throne for herself and her son, Uriel. Her schemes resulted in a civil war known as the War of the Red Diamond, the name coming from the symbol of the Imperial family. In early surprise attacks, Skyrim and High Rock were easily defeated by the force of Queen Potema. The war was highly contested, but was abruptly decided by the death of Potema's claimant, Uriel III, in 3E 127. While the end of the succession crisis ostensibly brought an end to the conflict, Potema held out in Solitude with an undead army for another decade.

During this civil war, the Knights of the Nine were fractured and later completely dissolved. The four recovered relics of Pelinal Whitestrake were used in the war and lost afterwards.

More information can be found in the books The Wolf Queen and Biography of the Wolf Queen.

Major Battles

• Battle of Ichidag, 3E 127. Forces under Cephorus defeated Uriel III, who was killed in the aftermath of the battle. Cephorus was crowned Emperor.
• Battle of Falconstar, 3E 127. Contemporaneously with the Battle of Ichidag, the forces of Queen Potema fought the forces of Magnus Septim in Skyrim. Upon learning of her son's capture, Potema flew into a rage and led a successful assault on Magnus' weakest flank, causing Magnus and his army to retreat. Word reached them soon after of Uriel III's death.
• Siege of Solitude, 3E 137. The Wolf Queen, Potema of Solitude, was finally defeated after a month-long siege of her castle. Although not a full part of the War of the Red Diamond, the siege is best viewed as a postscript, as with the death of the entire royal family except Cephorus, Magnus, Pelagius and Jolethe, all possible argument over the line of succession was ended.

The Camoran Usurper's Invasion

3E 249 - 3E 267

Haymon Camoran, known as the Camoran Usurper, a pretender to the Camoran throne of Valenwood, conquered all of Valenwood and Hammerfell alongside a portion of western Cyrodiil with an army of daedra and undead. However it's believed that whichever dark power he had aligned himself with had abandoned him towards the end of the war, as he had to fall back on traditional armies of Redguards and Bosmer, alongside conventional trickery as he made his way to northern Hammerfell, and attempted to invade High Rock. Camoran had aligned with Eight Lords of High Rock (referred to as the Eight Traitors), who sympathized more with the Usurper as an opponent to the Empire.

Emperor Cephorus II was a Nord and more sympathetic to Skyrim and Morrowind than High Rock as previous emperors had been, as well as being embroiled in a succession dispute at the time. The Emperor would attempt to send mercenaries to halt Camoran, but they switched sides as Camoran had bribed them. Overall the image and reputation of the Empire had been greatly damaged in the western provinces during the War.

The various lords of High-Rock were unable to coordinate thanks to their internal politics, however Baron Othrok of Dwynnen and his allies managed to halt Camoran's armies at Dwynnen. Then in 3E 267, the combined armies of High Rock mustered the greatest navy ever seen, and defeated and killed the Camoran Usurper and his armies on the Iliac Bay and on land.

Major Battles

• Battle of Dragontooth, 3E 253. The defeat of the armies of Taneth and Rihad lead to the fall of southern Hammerfell.
• Battle of Wightmoor, 3E 253. The Nightmare Host had taken over Dwynnen, but they were later defeated by Othrok and his armies from the forest. He later became the first Baron of Dwynnen and started to prepare his fight against the Usurper.
• Battle of Firewaves, 3E 267. The combined armies of Dwynnen, Ykalon, Phrygia, and Kambria led by Dwynnen's Baron Othrok finally defeated the Usurper.

The Invasion of Akavir

23rd of Rain's Hand, 3E 288 - 3E 290

Uriel Septim V attempted to invade the continent of Akavir, starting with the Tsaesci Kingdom. The preparations for the invasion begun in the 3E 268, almost immediately after Uriel V took the throne, started off with the invasion of several islands between Tamriel and Akavir and were concluded in 3E 286 when final scouting actions were done on Akavir soil.

Uriel V first started by conquering several islands between 3E 271-284, including Roscrea, Cathnoquey, Yneslea, and Esroniet to act as supply routes to Akavir. While the invasion of Akavir ended in failure, these acquisitions would stay with the Third Empire.

A special Far East Fleet, the most powerful fleet in Tamriel's history, was created for the invasion. After that, the Expeditionary Force was sent to Akavir in 3E 288. Imperial forces landed near the mouth of a river and found no opposition, taking an abandoned village and renaming it Septimia. Despite initial success, due to unusual weather, no permanent supply routes were possible to establish. The Emperor personally oversaw the war effort and colonization, making the decision to bring in colonists rather than reinforcements since the Akavir army was nowhere to be seen. The Empire advanced further inland, still finding no signs of the Akavir, who were seemingly attempting to draw the Tamriel forces in. Early in the winter of 3E 290, the Akaviri advanced, attempting to surround the Imperial forces. While the Legions acquitted themselves well, they were forced to fight on the defensive. The Emperor attempted a retreat and ultimately ordered the complete withdrawal from Akavir. However, the majority of Uriel V's invasion force, including thousands of colonists, were killed and the emperor himself was slain in combat, ending the conflict.

Major Battles

• The Far East Fleet, 3E 271 - 3E 284. The Far East Fleet sets sail for Akavir on the way conquering the kingdoms of Cathnoquey, Esroniet, Roscrea, and Yneslea.
• Taking of Septimia, Mid Year 3E 288. Six weeks after Uriel's fleet took off from Black Harbor on Esroniet, they landed on Akavir and took a river port town from the Tsaesci populace that abandoned it as soon as they saw the Expeditionary Force. They renamed it Septimia and it was to be the first colony of the newly founded Imperial Province of Akavir.
• Taking of Ionith, 3E 288. Soon after capturing Septimia, the emperor himself marched along the river and found another abandoned city, named Ionith after it was taken.
• Battle in the northern mountains, Sun's Height 3E 289. The emperor had his legions attack the amassing Tsaesci forces north of Ionith. Even though the Tsaesci were caught off guard and their leader captured, the legions were forced to fall back and took heavy losses during the retreat. As a result, Ionith was besieged and remained such until its eventual fall.
• Battle of Ionith, 3E 290. After contact was established with the Far East Fleet, that was sent to return with supplies, the emperor ordered the army to break through the enemy lines and to fall back to Septimia. Not far from Ionith, on the road to Septimia, the remains of the Expeditionary Force were ambushed. Uriel V and his personal guard, the Tenth Legion, stayed behind to hold off the Tsaesci, while the others continued their retreat. Only two men from the Tenth Legion survived to tell the tale of emperor's demise.
• Battle of Septimia, 3E 290. Two days after Ionith was abandoned, the fleet that had returned with the supplies found the town of Septimia under heavy siege by Tsaesci forces. They drove the attackers away, rescued the survivors and left for Tamriel.

Military intimidations of Uriel VII

Talin Warhaft

3E 368 - 3E 389

Around this time, it is said that Emperor Uriel Septim VII planned to "gather the whole of Nirn under the imperial flag." Circa 3E 376, Uriel allied himself with Jagar Tharn, appointing him to the station of Imperial Battlemage of the Empire. Uriel greatly benefited from arcane support and shrewd counsel of his close advisor in the conflicts to come. It is written that these decades were "marked by aggressive expansion and consolidation of Imperial influence throughout the empire, but especially in the East, in Morrowind and Black Marsh, where the Empire's power was limited, Imperial culture was weak, and native customs and traditions were strong and staunchly opposed to assimilation." Uriel soon outstripped the masterful Jagar Tharn in the skills of threat and diplomacy, co-opting the House Hlaalu of Morrowind as an advance guard for Imperial interests. Uriel's expansionism was described as an "aggressive campaign of military intimidation and diplomatic accommodation".

Major Battles

• Battle of Borim Valley: Sometime between 3E 371 and 3E 389), General Talin Warhaft of the Septim Empire's Imperial Guard fought a rival force in the Borim Valley. Warhaft's men had routed the enemy and would have captured them all if not for the brave sacrifice of a Sergeant on the opposing side, who had held the pass long enough for his men to retreat to safety at the cost of his own life.

Imperial Simulacrum

3E 389 - 3E 399

Introduction

Imperial Battlemage Jagar Tharn betrayed and secretly imprisoned Emperor Uriel Septim VII and used Illusion magic to masquerade as the Emperor for a decade. Imperial authority declined under the Simulacrum, resulting in a series of provincial wars.

The Five Year War

The Five Year War was a war that took place between the Bosmer of Valenwood and the Khajiit of Elsweyr. The Bosmer claim that the war began in 3E 394 when Khajiit bandits started attacking wood caravans headed for Valenwood. The Khajiit claim that the war began in 3E 395 when the Bosmer attacked the city of Torval in retaliation for the bandit attacks. This border dispute soon turned into a bloody war that lasted for 4 years and 9 months. Thus it was named the Five Year War. Eventually, Elsweyr defeated Valenwood and expanded its territory slightly west, taking both banks of the Xylo River.

The Arnesian War

3E 396

What started as a simple slave revolt in the House Dres lands to the south escalated into a full war between Morrowind and Black Marsh. The cause of the war was the death of a Dunmer trader named Roris, who was later canonized into a saint by the Tribunal Temple. He was captured by the Argonian rebels and when he refused to denounce his faith, he was brutally tortured and murdered. When news of his death reached the rest of Morrowind, war was declared on Black Marsh. Morrowind's armies ultimately defeated the Argonians and expanded Morrowind's territory to the south.

The father of the famous Dunmer painter Rythe Lythandas was a known participant in the war. After peace was established, a commission was created to repair the damage done by the war.

War of the Blue Divide

3E 397

Named after the body of water separating them, the War of the Blue Divide pitted Summerset Isle against its former ally Valenwood. After a vicious but short war, Summerset defeated Valenwood, gaining several coastal islands as a result of the war. The most notable damage from the war was when the Altmeri destroyed many of Valenwood's harbors. The war occurred soon after Valenwood's war with Elsweyr, meaning Valenwood was in an already weakened state. The war took an even worse turn, however, when the Khajiit took advantage of Valenwood's further distress, reigniting the war and forcing the Wood Elves to fight on two fronts.

The only known episodes concerning the war were when, in 3E 396, the Bosmeri Parikh tribe began their rampage through southeastern Valenwood against other tribes, receiving aid from Summerset itself. It is unknown whether or not this was the cause of the war.

Major Battles

• Siege of Woodhearth, 3E 397. Summerset Isle surrounded the coastal city with the intent of starving its inhabitants and forcing them to surrender. Since the Bosmer practice cannibalism, the attack was presumed a tactical error on Summerset's part. A humorous contemporary remark stated that "at the end, only one fat wood elf will remain to wave the flag".

The War of the Bend'r-mahk

The War of the Bend'r-mahk was a conflict that started in 3E 397 during the Imperial Simulacrum period between the provinces of Hammerfell, Skyrim and High Rock.

During the war Skyrim defeated the forces of Hammerfell and High Rock and claimed many miles of the eastern parts of those provinces, including the cities of Elinhir and Jehanna. Some of these territories were claimed to have been lost in previous wars at the expense of Skyrim. The Redguards harbored a fierce grudge against Skyrim, and yearned for a chance to take back land that was seized from them.

Behind the scenes, the conflict was being used by Jagar Tharn and Pergan Asuul to create a Shadow of Conflict, or Umbra' Keth. However, the villains' plans were put to an end by the Soul of Conflict, a commoner from Azra's Crossing that was roped into the shadow wars of higher players through a series of events.

After peace was established, a commission was created to repair the damage done by the war.

Invasion of the Battlespire

The Daedric legions of Mehrunes Dagon invaded the Imperial Battlespire, slaughtering the stationed Imperial Battlemages and blocking reinforcements from Nirn. However, an apprentice of the Imperial Battle College arrived at the facility and put an end to Dagon's machinations by banishing the Daedric Prince to the Wells of Oblivion, an action which subsequently caused the shattering of Battlespire into ruin.

Despite the recommendations of the Imperial Treasury, Battlespire was later recaptured by the Empire. And while the Weir Gate still stood, the rest of the proving ground remained destroyed, along with ability to access the Oblivion realms using the Voidgate.

Conclusion

The Imperial Simulacrum was ended when the Eternal Champion defeated Jagar Tharn in the Imperial Palace labyrinths, while also restoring the rightful Emperor to the throne, ushering in the following period called the Restoration.

Fractious warring and revolt

Warring and revolt as seen in the Book of the Time

Dark Elves battling Nords

Circa 3E 399 - Circa 3E 417

Political neglection from the "unworthy heirs" of the Septim Dynasty caused the bonds of their Empire to weaken and crack, and nearly fall; this came to a head during the Imperial Simulacrum period in the late 300s of the Third Era, which spawned a series of wars and rebellions between the continent's provinces, raging on for years into the early 400s. This great outbreak of anarchy was heralded as a cyclical return to time of the Interregnum, before Tiber Septim took control with his newly formed Empire and established peace throughout the land -- a few believed this decline to be an inevitability, and that no lasting empire could exist in such a violent place as the Arena of Tamriel. Some blame the latter Septims' affording their vassal kings too much liberty or for lacking their ancestors' military genius.

The major events of this period, including its name, are uncertain outside of the Wars of the Iliac Bays and a conflict between Dark Elves and Nords. The contemporary Emperor, Uriel Septim VII, now returned to the throne after a ten year hiatus (caused by the Imperial Simulacrum debacle), renewed his battle to reunite Empire, despite his ancestors' neglections and the political unrest invigorated by the usurper Jagar Tharn. In the biography of Uriel Septim VII, it is written that the Emperor had "turned from the aggressive campaign of military intimidation and diplomatic accommodation of his earlier years, and relied instead on clandestine manipulation of affairs behind the scenes, primarily through the agencies of the various branches of the Blades" at this time; contemporarily, the Imperial Order of Blades were known to organize formal assaults if need be. The Empire's formal colonization of Vvardenfell circa 3E 414, in collaboration with the King of Morrowind, was also a very notable event during this time.

Seemingly, the warring was put to end in 3E 417, when the Miracle of Peace occurred.

The War of Betony

War of Betony

3E 402 - 3E 403

The War of Betony (known as the Siege of Betony to Sentinel) was caused when Lord Mogref of Betony asked King Lysandus of Daggerfall for protection against pirates and other brigands. King Camaron of Sentinel and his advisors, citing an old contract that suggested Betony was a holding of their kingdom, declared war. Hostilities ended after Lysandus' son, Gothryd, who became king after his father was killed in battle at Cryngaine Field, won the battle and defeated Camaron in single combat. Sentinel surrendered and Betony passed under the control of Daggerfall.

More information can be found in two books, both called The War of Betony. Vulper Newgate's version contains the official history, as written by the victors; Fav'te's book, however, tells the story from the viewpoint of a citizen of Sentinel. The Daggerfall Chronicles also provides a slightly different version of the story, a summary of which can be read here.

Major Battles

• Battle of the Bluffs: The first major battle of the war. Won by Daggerfall.
• Siege of Craghold: The Island of Craghold was besieged by the forces of Sentinel for several days, but the siege was broken by Daggerfall forces under Lord Bridwell.
• Battle of Cryngaine Field: Final battle of the conflict. The battlefield was covered in a dense mist created by Skakmat, and after it lifted King Lysandus was found to have perished from an arrow through either his heart or his throat. His son Gothryd was crowned on the battlefield and led the army to victory.

Oblivion Crisis

A gate to the Deadlands of Mehrunes Dagon

3E 433

The Oblivion Crisis, also known as the Great Anguish, was a total war between Mehrunes Dagon's Daedra hordes and the population of Tamriel. It began with the assassination of Uriel Septim VII and all of his known heirs in 3E 433.

Shortly afterward, Oblivion Gates to the Deadlands opened across Tamriel and Daedra poured out as the result of a fanatical cult of worshippers of Mehrunes Dagon known as the Mythic Dawn. Widespread devastation and casualties resulted across entire provinces. The Daedra besieged Skyrim, and laid waste to the Old Holds. In Black Marsh, the Hist called back many Argonians to fight off the Daedra. According to An-Xileel the Daedra were forced to close their Oblivion gates in Black Marsh due to an Argonian counter invasion. In Cyrodiil, the city of Kvatch was entirely destroyed.

Notes

• ^0.

  Going off the ages presented in the French introduction narrative of the Arena Player's Guide, Warhaft was born circa 3E 355, and was a career adventurer at the time he was sixteen, which would be around 3E 371. As Warhaft was a commander during the Battle of Borim Valley, it must've taken place sometime after his adventuring days, but before the events of Arena.

• ^1.

  This period has not been given a proper name in canon, and the title used here is derived from a cut letter from Daggerfall written by the Great Knight of the Blades and intended for The Agent, concerning the Totem of Tiber Septim. This letter originally featured in the text resource file of the Daggerfall Preview game demo, and provides extra context for this series of conflicts; "Consider that giving the Totem to the Emperor will strengthen the entire Empire, not just a single kingdom or faction. A strong Empire will bring peace, but empowering a part of the Empire to the detriment of all the others will continue the war and revolt so prevalent in our fractitious [sic] land."

• ^2.	Morrowind dialogue mentions that there hasn't been a war in ten years (with the game being set in 3E 427, ten years prior would be 3E 417), whether or not this is descriptive of only Vvardenfell/Morrowind itself or Tamriel at large is unknown.

• ^3.

  The image on the left from introduction cutscene of Daggerfall depicts a crop of a larger image of Dark Elves engaging in battle with Nords as an example of the fractious conflicts. This image has been used in many subsequent sources. The Daggerfall User's Guide has a radial crop of this image showing the backside of a fighting Nord as well as the previously featured Dark Elves. The complete image was used as key art for advertising Daggerfall in magazines. The image in entire was also used the ElderScrolls.com as clip art for the events of Morrowind in the website's game history Codex, where it is placed alongside some text about the events of the game's main quest and of Red Mountain. Similarly, Shadowkey also adopts a cropped version of this image featuring the Dark Elves portion, where it is used to depict "the pawns of the shadow war." This imagery was used for the All the Eras of Man passage of the Pocket Guide to the Empire: Third Edition as a header image for the Third Era section. Lastly, it was used as clip art under the Fourth Century of the Third Era section for The Third Era Timeline book featured in The Skyrim Library, Vol. 1: The Histories.

• ^4.

  There are no sources for when this period formally began and ended, other than these events taking place in the time after the Restoration of the Emperor, but before the Miracle of Peace. The in-game books Brief History of the Empire and Assassination! (backed by Imperial interests) allude to a period of peace instilled by the Empire immediately following the Imperial Simulacrum wars, yet the events and cutscene narration of Daggerfall speak to the violence only ramping up and getting worse.

References

Note: The following references are considered to be unofficial sources. They are included to round off this article and may not be authoritative or conclusive.