Lore:First Empire of the Nords

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Skyrim, the province in which the First Nordic Empire was based

The First Empire of the Nords, also known as the Nord Empire,[1] is the collective term for the Nordic kingdom during a phase of expansion in the First Era, known as the Skyrim Conquests.[2] Its capital was the city of Windhelm in Skyrim, where a First Empire palace still stands.[3] The empire was formed when King Vrage the Gifted began a campaign to conquer High Rock and Morrowind (a feat that is attributed by some to Sai, the God of Luck[4]) circa 1E 240.[5][4] By the end of the conquests, the First Empire of the Nords encompassed Skyrim, parts or all of High Rock (sources conflict),[6][7] Morrowind with the exception of the Dwemer kingdom of Vvardenfell,[8] and a large portion of Cyrodiil's Nibenay Valley.[3] These invasions upset the balance in High Rock and Cyrodiil, and although the Nords' empire lasted less than two centuries, the result was decisive; from then on, power in those regions shifted from the elves to the humans.[9]

Though the last ruler, King Borgas, died in 1E 369,[10][11] the ultimate end of the First Nordic Empire came in 1E 420, when the Pact of Chieftains ended the War of Succession and the empire finally shattered; Skyrim eventually lost all of its holdings in Morrowind,[12][13] Cyrodiil, and High Rock,[6] and many of the Nordic kingdoms began to declare independence.[14] The Nords were driven from Morrowind by force when Indoril Nerevar and Dumac Dwarfking joined together, repelling the invaders in 1E 416.[13][8]

Notes[edit]

  • First Empire of the Nords as a name is used as a retroactive nomenclature, as Nords technically didn't consider themselves Nords until around the time the Redguard Cirroc the Lofty became Harbinger.[15]
    • According to Michael Kirkbride, the heirs of King Harald "never regarded themselves as anything more than a strong and steady line of successful war-chieftains".[UOL 1]

References[edit]

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.