Lore:Fourth Era Wars

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

The Great War

The following is a list of all knownwars and conflictsduring theFourth Era.

The Accession War

4E 6

TheAccession War,more commonly known as theArgonian Invasionwas a war waged by theArgonianAn-Xileelagainst theDunmerHousesofMorrowindin the immediate aftermath of theRed Yearof4E 5.The invasion devastated much of southern and eastern Morrowind, including the capital city ofMournhold,and almost led to the complete destruction ofHouse Telvanniand temporary occupation of much of Morrowind. The war would compound the ongoing alteration of the political dynamics of Morrowind and result in the solidification ofHouse Redoranas the dominant power in Morrowind.

Night of Green Fire

4E 42

TheNight of Green Fireoccurred in4E 42,when theThalmorattackedAltmerdissident refugees who had fled persecution inAlinorand were living in the city ofSentinel,inHammerfell.According to aLegionofficer claiming to be an eyewitness, there was an explosion of magic in the refugee quarter, where Thalmor mages were attacking the Altmer dissidents who, in turn, were resisting with magic of their own. Running to the scene with other Legionaries who were stationed there, the eyewitness found the entire refugee quarter a smoking ruin, and that everyone had been slaughtered.

Umbriel Crisis

Umbriel

4E 48

TheUmbriel Crisiswas a war in4E 48.The floating city ofUmbriel,a fragment ofClavicus Vile'sFields of Regret,came from the south up throughBlack Marshand southernMorrowindand intoCyrodiil.Several major cities were destroyed or besieged, culminating in an assault on theImperial City

Major Battles

• Massacre at Lilmoth,4E 48.Although theArgoniansat Lilmoth were possessed, a number of plantations in the surrounding countryside fought against the horde of undead sea creatures resurrected by the city. They were all overrun and the defenders were also reanimated and joined the march.
  • The cities ofStormholdandGideonsoon fell to the undead army as Umbriel continued to head north.
• March Into Morrowind,4E 48. A fewImperial Legionpatrols in Morrowind attempted to slow the advance of the undead, but were all defeated and either fell back or joined the march.
• Siege of Cheydinhal,4E 48. The undead advanced intoCyrodiiland overran the city ofCheydinhal.The defenders held the city for a long while but eventually they fell back on theImperial City.The undead did not occupy the city so local people returned there afterwards.
• Siege of the Imperial City,4E 48. The undead army advanced on the Imperial City in an effort to take control of theWhite-Gold Tower,causing mass panic among its citizens. The Imperial Legion attempted to hold the line along theRed Ring Road,but were ultimately driven back to the walls of the city. The Synod and the College of Whispers worked together to bring down the floating city, but also failed. Umbriel was eventually banished fromMundusby a group of heroes.

The Great War

Imperial Legion

TheGreat War,referred to as theFirst War Against the Empireby theThalmor,was a war fought from4E 171to175between theThird Empireand theThird Aldmeri Dominion.The war consisted primarily of a Dominion invasion of Imperial territory, culminating in the capture of theImperial Citybefore its recapture by the Empire, and the war eventually ended with the Empire signing a punishing peace deal.

The Forsworn Rebellion

TheForsworn Rebellionwas a conflict in theFourth Eraconcurrent with the late stages of theGreat WarinCyrodiil,whenImperial Legionsstationed inSkyrim's region ofthe Reachand its capital,Markarth,were recalled to help repel the Aldmeri Dominion's invasion. This left the Reach vulnerable to attack, and its native population, known asReachmen,successfully revolted and created an independent kingdom.

Jarl Hrolfdir, the father of futureJarl Igmund,called upon a Nordic militia led byUlfric Stormcloakto retake the Reach from its native inhabitants in return for free Talos worship. The uprising was ultimately quelled, but not without consequences. Despite the promise of free religion, the Thalmor discovered the Talos worship taking place in Markarth and demanded the arrest of Ulfric and the other members of the Nord militia. To honor theWhite-Gold Concordatand keep the peace with the Dominion, Hrolfdir was forced to comply. Hrolfdir helped arrest Ulfric and the other members of the militia to prevent another war with the Thalmor. In retaliation, Ulfric Stormcloak refused to observe the agreement and decided to allow the freedom to worship Talos himself when he became the new Jarl of Windhelm, sparking the futureStormcloak Rebellion.

Major Battles

• Battle of Markarth,4E 174.Reachmen quickly breached Markarth's city gates and annexed the city. Years later, Jarl Hrolfdir, father of the future Jarl Igmund, was killed by the Forsworn.
• The Markarth Incident,4E 176.Under the leadership of Ulfric Stormcloak, the Nordic militia retook Markarth while inflicting heavy casualties on the Reachmen rebels. When the independent kingdom of the Reach was overthrown, there were executions, including the deaths of some civilians of Markarth who were native members of the Reach. Surviving stragglers of the Reachmen continued to rebel, forming the Forsworn.

The Stormcloak Rebellion

4E 201-

TheStormcloak Rebellion,also known as theSkyrim Civil WarandUlfric's Uprising,was a civil war inSkyrimcirca4E 201.It was fought between the forces of theThird Empire,mobilized in western Skyrim, and theStormcloakrebels of eastern Skyrim. The war saw two claimants to Skyrim's throne fight against each other, with the Empire supportingElisif the Fair's claim of High Queen and the Stormcloaks insistingJarl Ulfric Stormcloakhad earned his right as High King.

Dragon Crisis

4E 201-

TheReturn of the Dragons,also known as theDragon Crisiswas an invasion ofTamrielthat occurred in4E 201,orchestrated byAlduin,theNordicgod of time. Alduin, along with the plethora ofdragonsthat he resurrected, caused destruction and chaos throughoutSkyrimandMorrowind.However,a mysterious herorevealed to be the Nordic hero of legend, the Last Dragonborn, rose up and was able to defeat Alduin, as foretold by theProphecy of the Dragonborn.It was concurrent with theStormcloak Rebellion,a civil war in Skyrim, fought between theThird Empire'sImperial Legionforces, mobilized in western Skyrim, and theStormcloakrebels of eastern Skyrim.