Third Era Politics of Tamriel, Volume II: Hammerfell

The politics of Hammerfell were interesting in their depths. While the system looked clear on the surface, many hidden movements and unspoken rules made it a maze for the unexperienced to traverse.

HISTORY

The politics of Hammerfell at the end of the Third Era found its origin in the arrival of the Ra Gada from Yokuda in the mid First Era. With the disappearance of the Dwemer almost a century before, and the Nedic and Meric tribes in the area avoiding the so called “Deathland”, the Yokudans found the harsh landscape only settled by loose Orcish clans, who were quickly driven off.
The Yokudans at the time, though more united than many other nations, fell out over events that drove them off their homeland, and quickly the families and groups formed tribes. Some settled the lush Illiac Coast or the regions surrounding the modern border with Cyrodiil, while others (most notably the order of so called “Sword-Singers”) opted to travel the central deserts.
The tribes on the coast of the Illiac Bay quickly developed much like their neighbours across the water, forming states and cities, each with their own governments and laws. The wanderers of the Alik’r desert did not undergo this process, instead keeping to their nomadic roots. The Sword-Singers retracted themselves from politics altogether, and have since never openly supported or a ruler.
While the High Rock city states remained independent of each other up until the closing days of the Third Era, the prince- and kingdoms of Hammerfell formed a federation of sorts fairly early on. The monarch of Sentinel was also the monarch of the Province, and all the other states had to swear fealty and loyalty to them. While the states had their own legislature and courts, there were laws enforced throughout the entire province (most had to do with retaining the status of the king).
This did not hold in practise, though, as many states went their own way (sometimes openly opposing Sentinel), and the tribes and groups in the Alik’r, who were officially united in the princedom of Alik’r, took no interest in the rules and regulations of the rest of the province (who didn’t take any interest in them).
With the coming of the Third Empire, the states had somewhat subdued their conflicts with Sentinel. The Empire helped this kingdom solidify its hold on the province, since it was easier for them to oversee and rule from a central point. This did make many of the more controversial contacts between states hidden, and many of the kingdoms still did not acknowledge the power of Sentinel.

SITUATION

As stated above, Hammerfell was divided in a handful of prince- and kingdoms. These were united under the influence of Sentinel by name, but some of these tried to gain the upper hand multiple times.
Each state was ruled by a noble, who inherited the title and rule of his or her state. In the case of the states on the Illiac coast, it meant the direct sovereignty over the state. In the case of the less densely populated desert states, it was nothing more than a title. The tribes held their own relations and politics, and almost never turned to their lords or ladies for help.
While the political backstabbing of High Rock was also common in Hammerfell, it was not only done to further personal agendas. Hammerfell was notable in that the political figures were divided in two fronts: the Crowns and the Forebears. While this debate had been as old as the arrival of the Yokudans, it exploded for the first time with the coming of the Empire, and never subsided.
The Crowns are popular under the nobility. This group aims for the preservation of Yokudan culture and ways, and it saw the Empire as a threat to this goal. While a lot of Redguards favoured their own ways over those of the metropolitan Imperials, their main concern was that the Crowns also wanted to maintain the hierarchical structure of the Yokudan Empire. Instead, the common folk often tends to support the Forebears, a group aiming towards more cooperation and integration with the Empire. This also meant the breakdown of more traditional hierarchical structures common in ancient Yokuda, and as such this group was more popular with the lower classes of Hammerfell and with the more progressive nobles.
Even though the latter group was more in line with the Imperial philosophy of statehood, the Empire often openly opposed the Forebears, as this group was often anarchistic in nature, and would complicate Imperial rule in the Province.
The conflict between the Crowns and the Forebears was one that exploded at times, and civil unrest and political murder were not all too uncommon. True civil wars had always been avoided, mostly due to the heavy Legion presence in the area, but it never really settled down, and it is still brewing to this day.

CONTEMPORARY DEVELOPMENTS

During the last days of the Third Era, the Miracle of Peace also affected the province of Hammerfell. It saw the kingdom of Sentinel subdue the states surrounding it, forming one major power block. While many contemporary politicologists predicted this to be the end of the Forebear and Crown conflict, the following fall of the Empire saw it blazing again. With the absence of the empire, both groups were again at each other’s throat, with a third group forming in the conflict, the Lhotunics. Named after a progressive nobleman, the Lhotunics try to combine both the old traditions of Yokuda and the modern ways of the Imperials. They are seen as soft and unwelcome by the other two groups, and it has only further complicated the political playing field of Hamerfell.
During the Great War, Hammerfell was attacked by the Aldmeri Dominion, and Sentinel was razed. With the Imperial Legions cut off in the Alik’r, the Redguards had to fend for themselves, and the province decided to secede from the Empire after this event. This saw an end to Imperial power, yet not in Forebear support.