Surrounding the head of Talos on every Septim coin in mainline Elder Scrolls games take place. Only Skyrim takes place after the fall of the Septim Dynasty since the events of Oblivion coincide with the end of the Septim line.
The Third Empire was so monolithic that its existence constituted the entire Third Age in Tamriel. After Tiber Septim, the progenitor of the Third Empire, successfully conquered all of Tamriel, he declared the beginning of the Third Age. The Elder Scrolls: Arena takes place 399 years later, in 3E 399. The events of Daggerfall, Morrowind, and Oblivion all follow within less than half a century, leading up to the end of the Third Age in 3E 433. Though the Septim Dynasty has been dead for over 200 years by the time Skyrim begins, decrees made by that Imperial lineage still affect the socio-political climate the Last Dragonborn finds themselves in.
Before the end of the Third Empire, 22 Septims would ascend to the Imperial throne, and all four mainline Elder Scrolls games' timelines take place in the Third Age occur during the rule of the final two Septims. Prior to the rise of Tiber Septim and the Third Empire, Tamriel endured a period of turmoil known as the Interregnum, which lasted over 400 years. During the Interregnum, the Amulet of Kings - a sacred symbol of Imperial power - was lost, later found buried with the last Emperor of the Second Empire, Reman III. At some point during the Interregnum, the Greybeards at High Hrothgar spoke Tiber Septim's name, and he was blessed as Dovahkiin and prophesied to become Emperor of Tamriel.
Elder Scrolls: The Conquest Of Tamriel & The Rule Of Tiber Septim
There are conflicting theories in Elder Scrolls' full history regarding the birthplace of Tiber Septim, and even his race his largely unknown. The city of Alcaire in High Rock claims to be the home of Tiber Septim, but other s have him hailing from Atmora, a region north of Tamriel from which Men originated. The generally accepted, orthodox delineation of Tiber Septim's origins is that he was born in Atmora and given the name Talos. Aside from his summons to High Hrothgar in Skyrim, Talos first rose to prominence as general of the armies of Cuhlecain, a king in the western regions of Cyrodiil. Cuhlecain and General Talos were largely successful in their early campaigns through Cyrodiil and the north, including the notable Battle of Sancre Tor, in which Talos was dispatched to quell an attack from High Rock and Skyrim, two provinces deeply opposed to the rise of another Empire.
According to orthodox history in Elder Scrolls' in-game lore, the armies of Skyrim conceded and swore allegiance to General Talos after witnessing him use the thu'um, recognizing the Dragonborn as the heir to the Empire of Men. With his combined forces, Talos defeated the armies of High Rock, retrieved the Amulet of Kings from Reman III's tomb, and returned to Cyrodiil to help Cuhlecain conquer the Imperial City. Shortly after securing the future seat of the Third Empire, Cuhlecain was assassinated, and the palace was set ablaze. Talos' throat was also slit, "but from the smoldering ruin he came, one hand to his neck and with Cuhlecain's Crown in the other," according to "Pocket Guide to the Empire, First Edition." General Talos continued Cuhlecain's conquests, but the injury to his neck prevented him from using the thu'um, and he instead commanded his legions with a whisper. Heretical s claim Talos himself was the assassin of Cuhlecain, slitting his own throat to avoid suspicion, and seizing power.
At some point following the assassination of Cuhlecain, Talos adopts the Cyrodiilic name Tiber Septim and crowns himself Emperor of Men. Over the next decade, Tiber conquers the four lands of men - Cyrodiil, Skyrim, High Rock, and Hammerfell - and the First Edition of "The Pocket Guide to the Empire" is published. During the next three decades, Tiber Septim successfully conquers the rest of the provinces, is crowned Emperor of Tamriel, and then declares the beginning of the Third Age. Tiber Septim ruled Tamriel for 38 years, and his governance was largely considered a success through extensive reconstruction efforts.
He was also responsible for reviving the Cult of the One, a religious sect worshipping the dragon god Akatosh. In the center of the Imperial City's Temple District, Tiber erected the Temple of the One, in which the Dragonfires were lit, creating a barrier between Nirn and the Planes of Oblivion upon the ascension of an Emperor who possesses dragon blood. Upon his death in 3E 38 at the age of 108, it is generally believed that Tiber Septim ascended to godhood. He ed the pantheon of the Eight Divines as the deity Talos, beginning the widespread worship of the Nine Divines. Centuries later in the Fourth Era, the worship of Talos would be outlawed by the White-Gold Concordat, a treaty that helped instigate the Skyrim Civil War in Elder Scrolls 5.
Elder Scrolls Full History: The Septim Dynasty Following Tiber's Death
Though Tiber Septim was a powerful ruler, his direct lineage did not last long on the throne. He was succeeded by his grandson, Pelagius Septim, who ruled for less than three years. Unknown enemies of the Empire hired the Dark Brotherhood to assassinate Pelagius, and he was killed while kneeling in worship at the Temple of the One. Pelagius had no children, and Tiber's direct bloodline ended in 3E 41. Pelagius was succeeded by his cousin, Kintyra Septim, daughter of Tiber's brother Agnorith. Kintyra was the first Empress of Tamriel, and her seven-year rule was a period of prosperity before her death from natural causes in 3E 48.
Kintyra was followed by her son, Uriel Septim I, whose reign saw great expansions for the Mages and Fighters Guilds found in Elder Scrolls. Uriel I brought an era of unification to the Empire during his 18 years on the throne, which may have prompted his name to be adopted by six future Emperors in the Septim Dynasty. Uriel I died in 3E 64, and his throne was transferred to his son. Uriel II ruled for the same length as his father, but his reign was the opposite in of prosperity. Uriel II was a sickly man, and without strong leadership, Imperial law did not operate effectively. As his rule continued, Uriel II sank deep into debt and was riddled with guilt upon his death in 3E 82.
Pelagius Septim II succeeded his father to the Imperial throne and also inherited his debts. To solve the Septim Dynasty's financial issues, Pelagius II dismissed every member of the Elder Council, the Empire's highest governing body. Those that wished to reform the Elder Council were required to pay an exorbitant fee, essentially transforming the government of the Third Empire into a plutocracy. The maneuver did return wealth to the throne, however, which was inherited by Pelagius II's son Antiochus Septim in 3E 99. Antiochus was already a renowned drunkard and womanizer by the time he assumed the throne at the age of 48, and ineffectively led the Empire. During Antiochus' reign, the Summerset Isles in Elder Scrolls were almost conquered by the Maormer from Pyandonea far to the south.
The Septim Dynasty & The War Of The Red Diamond In Elder Scrolls
The Maormer that invaded the Summerset Isles were secretly in league with Potema Septim, Antiochus' half-sister who sat on the throne of Solitude in Skyrim. Nine years after the invasion, Antiochus died in 3E 119 and was succeeded by his daughter, Kintyra Septim II, second Empress of Tamriel. Kintyra II was only 15 when she assumed rule, and her coronation was strongly opposed by her aunt, Potema. Potema and her son, Uriel Mantiarco, amassed the of unhappy kings primarily from Morrowind, Skyrim, and High Rock, and began a conflict known as the War of the Red Diamond, named for the symbol of the Septim Dynasty.
Shortly after the war's beginning, Kintyra II was abducted and executed, and Uriel Mantiarco ascended to the throne, adopting the name Uriel Septim III. Uriel and his mother commanded Tamriel's northern forces against those in the south that were led by Kintyra's uncles, Cephorus and Magnus Septim. Six years after being crowned Emperor, Uriel III was captured by Cephorus in 3E 127. En route to his trial, Uriel III was killed by an angry mob in the Elder Scrolls province of Hammerfell, and power was transferred to Cephorus. With Cephorus Septim declared Emperor of Tamriel, many of Potema's forces abandoned her.
The final battle in the War of the Red Diamond was the Siege of Solitude, in which a desperate Potema recruited the help of Daedric Princes and necromancers to bring her deceased forces back to life. Despite her efforts, Solitude fell in 3E 137, bringing about the end of the War of the Red Diamond. Some believe that before her death, she managed to give a cursed amulet to Pelagius Septim III, the son of Magnus. Cephorus Septim ruled for three years following the end of the war before dying in a horse accident in 3E 140. With no children, Cephorus was succeeded by his brother Magnus, who spent the five years of his rule punishing the traitorous kings from the war.
Elder Scrolls History: Pelagius The Mad & The Rise Of The Elder Council
While Cephorus and Magnus ruled Tamriel, Pelagius III sat on the throne of Solitude, and publicly became recognized as an eccentric. According to Elder Scrolls' history, he entered into marriage with a Dunmer woman named Katariah, and upon his father's death in 3E 145, the couple left Solitude so that Pelagius could assume the role of Emperor in the Imperial City. Becoming known as Pelagius the Mad, his eccentricities became more egregious while Katariah and the Elder Council ruled in his stead. Several notorious incidents resulted form Pelagius' behavior, including speaking to an Argonian ambassador in grunts and squeaks, and defecating on the floor of the White-Gold Tower while servants were cleaning. When the Mad Emperor began biting visitors, he was institutionalized.
His wife, Katariah Septim, was appointed the Regent of Tamriel in his absence and crowned Tamriel's third Empress upon his death. Katariah reigned for 46 years and exerted a great effort toward rebuilding the destruction caused by the War of the Red Diamond. She was the first ruler of the Third Empire to have no blood relation to Tiber Septim, but the bloodline was continued by the son she bore Pelagius III, Cassynder. When Katariah died in 3E 200, Cassynder was already middle aged, but was spurned into ruling Tamriel since he was the last remaining blood relative of Tiber. Cassynder Septim only held the throne for two years before his death, and was succeeded by his half-brother, Uriel Lariat.
Uriel Lariat, son of Empress Katariah and a consort, had no blood relation to Tiber Septim, yet legally assumed the throne under the name Uriel Septim IV. The Lariats were distant cousins to the Septims, and Uriel IV's tenuous legitimacy was even more strained by the continued growth in the Elder Council's power. Owing to the actions of Pelagius II over a century ago, the Elder Council was now filled with the Tamriel's wealthiest and most powerful. Upon Uriel IV's death in 3E 247, the Elder Council voted to block the ascension of his son, Andorak. Instead, Andorak's cousin Cephorus Septim II was crowned Emperor of Tamriel. This led to a civil war, which resulted in Andorak being granted rule over the Kingdom of Shornhelm in Elder Scrolls' High Rock province.
The Septim Dynasty's Later Conquests In Elder Scrolls History
Cephorus Septim II inherited a weak empire following the civil war with Andorak. This weakened state allowed Haymon Camoran, more commonly known as the Camoran Usurper, to conquer Valenwood and begin a series of military campaigns north through the Empire. The conflict with the Camoran Usurper lasted two decades, and Cephorus Septim II died the following year in 3E 268. The Camoran Usurper had a son named Mankar Camoran, who would later strike a major blow against the Septim Empire.
Uriel Septim V, son of Cephorus II, inherited the mantle of Emperor when his father died. In an attempt to reestablish the might of the Third Empire, Uriel V spent much of his rule abroad on campaigns of conquest, leaving the Elder Council to rule in his stead. Between 3E 271 and 284, Uriel V managed to conquer the kingdoms of Roscrea, Cathnoquey, Yneslea, and Esroniet - all islands off of Tamriel's coast, with the latter three lying to the east between Tamriel and one of Nirn's other major continents, Akavir. With the new territorial acquisitions as a staging ground, Uriel V amassed a navy and attempted to invade Akavir, but the conquest failed when the Emperor was slain in battle two years into the campaign in 3E 290. Despite the failure of the Akaviri invasion, Uriel Septim V is considered the greatest military commander since Tiber Septim.
When Uriel V died, his son Uriel VI was only five years old, and so his mother was made Regent of the Third Empire. The Elder Council used its immense power to deny Uriel VI the throne until he was 22 years old, by which point they'd stripped the Emperor of all powers sans the Imperial Veto. Leveraging the power of his veto and a network of spies, Uriel VI retook power from the Elder Council and was solely in control of the Empire by 3E 313. Some years later, Uriel VI died when he fell off his horse. His sister, Morihatha Septim succeeded him, and began putting an end to civil unrest throughout the Empire.
Though she was making progress, the Elder Council was not satisfied by her campaigns' meticulous pace, and certain conspired to have the Empress assassinated. She was killed in 3E 339, an Argonian Council member was tried and executed for her assassination, and the throne was given to Morihatha's nephew, Pelagius Septim IV. Pelagius IV continued the efforts to reunify the Empire, and largely succeeded save for the province of Morrowind. He reigned for 29 years, dying in 3E 368.
Elder Scrolls' Full History: Uriel Septim VII & The Oblivion Crisis
As the Septim Dynasty pertains to The Elder Scrolls games, its most important ruler is Uriel Septim VII, who succeeded his father, Pelagius IV. 21 years into his rule, Uriel VII was betrayed by his Imperial Battlemage, Jagar Tharn, who trapped the Emperor in Mehrunes Dagon's Plane of Oblivion. Tharn then disguised himself as Uriel VII by using Illusion magic, and ruled the Third Empire for 10 years during what would come to be called the Imperial Simulacrum. The Elder Scrolls: Arena tells the story of the Eternal Champion, who defeats Tharn and brings the Emperor back from Oblivion.
In The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall, Uriel VII sends the player character on a quest to Iliac Bay, which lies between High Rock and Hammerfell. Eventually, the Emperor learns that the Numidium, a thousand foot tall golem, is sequestered somewhere in High Rock. The Numidium was gifted to Tiber Septim during his conquest of Tamriel, as a gift for allowing Morrowind to remain semi-autonomous. Though Daggerfall has multiple endings, they are all canonized as happening simultaneously in a space-time anomaly known as the Warp of the West. Uriel VII was praised for bringing peace to the Iliac Bay region, reuniting all of Tamriel.
Uriel VII would later bring Morrowind more directly under Imperial control through colonization efforts and by ensuring that the Prophecy of the Nerevarine was fulfilled. The Nerevarine is the main character of fan-favorite Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind, and succeeds in toppling the ruling gods of Morrowind known as the Tribunal. With the Tribunal gone, Uriel VII was able to promote the worship of the Nine Divines in the east, and the Third Empire entered a period of short-lived peace.
In 3E 433, after ruling Tamriel for 65 years, Uriel Septim VII was assassinated in the tunnels below the Imperial City by of a Daedric cult called the Mythic Dawn, which was lead by Mankar Camoran, son of the Camoran Usurper. These events occur at the beginning of Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, and mark the start of the Oblivion Crisis, in which the Mythic Dawn attempts to summon Mehrunes Dagon, who hopes to conquer Nirn. Just before his death, Uriel VII entrusted the future Champion of Cyrodiil with the Amulet of Kings.
Over the course of Oblivion, the Amulet would eventually make its way into the hands of Martin Septim, Uriel VII's illegitimate son. At Martin's coronation, before the Dragonfires can be lit, Mehrunes Dagon invades the Imperial City from Oblivion. Martin crushes the Amulet of Kings, transforming him into the Avatar of Akatosh, and defeats Mehrunes Dagon. Martin Septim disappears after his fight against the Daedric Prince, is presumed dead, and the Septim Dynasty comes to a close. With the fall of the Third Empire, the Third Age ends in the year 3E 433. The actual Elder Scrolls contain a prophecy which foretells the return of the dragon Alduin following the end of the Dragonborn Emperors, a threat that is confronted by the Last Dragonborn in the fifth game of The Elder Scrolls, Skryim.
