Lore on the Empires of Tamriel, Part I: The Alessian Empire

Series Posts (links to be updated as more posts come out):
Part I: The Alessian Empire | Part II: The Reman Dynasty and the Akaviri Potentate | Part III: The Third Empire (The Septim Dynasty) | Part IV: The Third Empire (The Mede Dynasty), Reflections on the Empires, and a Look Ahead

Introduction

I got interested in the histories of the various empires of Tamriel, so I wanted to make a comprehensive series detailing the lore behind each of them. I mostly used UESP for my research, and on several occasions came across claims which were unsupported by any sources. I'll be including those claims here, but marking them as such; though it is possible that the source does exist and I either missed it or saw it but didn't make the connection. I'll also be providing sources when I feel like I should, but remember-- even if I'm presenting something as fact, some of this lore is so obscured that you might just have to take it with a grain of salt. I'll try to be as objective as I can, though. And if you want a source for any claim I make here, all you have to do is ask! I would be more than happy to edit in in to the text :)

Lastly, these will be my first ever posts on teslore, so I apologize if there's anything I've done wrong. I'm more than happy to edit in corrections and additions of all kinds, as well.

Disclaimer: The title of this post is a bit misleading, as I will also be touching on other, smaller empires from the same time period which I though significant to mention, such as the Camoran Dynasty.

Series Overview

This series will of course cover The Alessian Empire, The Second Empire (Reman Dynasty/Akaviri Potentate), The Third Empire (Septim Dynasty), and The Third Empire (Mede Dynasty), including their origins, durations, lands occupied, and downfalls. To that end, this will involve some lore on eras, the divines, the Chim-el Adabal/Amulet of Kings, and Sancre Tor. I will also briefly cover The Camoran Dynasty, The First Empire of the Nords, the Interregnum, the Empire of Cyrodiil, and the Aldmeri Dominion, though you'll see that they're not quite the same thing. I call them "minor empires" to distinguish them from the Big Three. You'll also see that the Mede Dynasty is quite unlike its precursors, and I hope to see some discussion about the ramifications of this/possible futures for the Mede Dynasty/end of the Third Empire. And with that, let's begin!

The Camoran Dynasty

The Camoran Dynasty is one of the earliest known in the history of Tamriel. Though really more of a kingdom than an empire, I considered it particularly significant because its founding by King Eplear coincides with the beginning of the First Era. Eplear's uniting of the Bosmer is considered to be quite the military feat. The Camorans were able to remain independent of The Alessian Empire, but eventually fell to The Second Empire and lost a lot of their power in Valenwood to lesser nobles. After the fall of The Second Empire, they do manage to regain control of Valenwood, but are not independent; instead, they pledged fealty to the First and Second Aldmeri Dominions.

During The Third Empire, they ruled as monarchs beneath the Septim Dynasty. In 3E 249, there is a dispute over their succession. Camoran Kaltos conquers Valenwood with the help of Haymon Camoran, who then takes his armies into Colovia against Kaltos' wishes. Haymon then decides that he will claim the throne of Valenwood, becoming known as the Camoran Usurper or the Hart-King. Kaltos was unable to stop him as he sacked Kvatch and conquered most of Hammerfell, and Emperor Cephorus II largely ignored the Usurper as he was pre-occupied with another civil war (more on that in the section on The Third Empire). Since the Iliac Bay was not unified and unsympatheic for the Emperor, he met little resistance until the cruelties of his warfare became known. Finally, as he moved into High Rock, Dwynnen was able to marshal the other city-states of High Rock into a unified resistance, defeating the Ururper in The Battle of Firewaves in 3E 267. He was defeated by the greatest navy ever seen on Tamriel, and it is possible that the divines themselves altered the weather to bring about his defeat.

A final note: Haymon fathered a bastard son named Mankar Camoran. However, since both Haymon and his mistress were Bosmeri, it is unlikely that this is THE Mankar Camoran of TES IV: Oblivion. The Mankar we know is an Altmer, and according to Notes on Racial Phylogeny, the race of the mother is what is passed on to the child. However, the book where we learn of Haymon's mistress also seems to suggest that these Mankars are indeed one and the same. That being said, and this is just some personal speculation here without anything to substantiate it, I bet that anyone who can create a pocket realm of Oblivion can also change their race, so if Mankar was a Bosmer who wanted to be an Altmer, he could probably do it.

<Edit> Thanks to u/Underkiing for telling me about a theory on this. Apparently, the idea is that Mankar Camoran used Mehrunes' Razor to "slice and reshape himself," and become an Altmer and a Dragonborn. It's a good explanation as to how he could wear the Amulet of Kings (which reminds me, I missed an important fact there), but it leaves me with a few questions: Why would he choose to become an Altmer; how is this of any benefit to him? And why isn't the Razor in his possession during the events of TES IV: Oblivion? This theory also ascribes certain powers to the Razor which I had not heard of, likening it somewhat to the powers of the Skeleton Key. I'll definitely have to look into this more, as I'm quite intrigued by it. It's possible that this matter is just the result of an oversight by Bethesda, but honestly, where's the fun in that? </Edit>

The First Empire of the Nords

King Vrage the Gifted formed this minor empire in 1E 240, just two years before the Alessian Slave Rebellion would break out. During Skyrim's conquests, this empire would encompass all of High Rock, all of mainland Morrowind (Vvardenfell, however, would remain independent), and part of the Nibenay Valley in Cyrodiil. Kind Edward, Part X claims that Sai, the god of luck, is associated with these military successes, and that he spent 150 years fixing what the influence of his luck caused. Though the empire was short-lived, it would mark a shift in the balance of power from elves to men in these regions. Its seat of power was Windhelm, and its last ruler was King Borgas.

Borgas was the last king of Ysgramor's dynasty, and the last one to wear the Jagged Crown before it was recovered in 4E 201. He was a supporter of Marukh (more on him later), and urged Cyrodiil to join him in a war against Valenwood, but was killed by the Wild Hunt in 1E 369. Upon his death, Jarl Hanse was supposedly the obvious choice for a successor, but when the moot failed to appoint him, the War of Succession broke out, leaving Skyrim in turmoil for 50 years.

When the war was finally ended by the Pact of Chieftains, naming Olaf One-Eye the High King in 1E 420, the empire was disbanded. Skyrim had lost its holdings in Morrowind to Dumac Dwarfking and Indoril Nerevar in 1E 416. High Rock was retaken by the Aldmer, and Cyrodiil's holdings had been lost, too. Even some of the Nordic kingdoms began to declare independence, leaving Skyrim more divided than it had ever been under the Nords.

The Alessian Empire

The Alessian Empire begins in 1E 243, following the Alessian Slave Rebellion. It began when Alessia received the Dragonfires and the Amulet of Kings from Akatosh, which she used to drive the daedra out of Tamriel. To properly discuss the origins of this empire, we must first dive into the life of Alessia, and the war she led which culminated in the formation of the empire.

Alessia and The Alessian Slave Rebellion

According to Morihaus, Alessia grew up in Sard (Sardavar Leed). She was likely a Nede, but I couldn't find any sources which state her race. Her given name seems to be unknown; Morihaus tells us that she was given the title "Al-Esh", or "the high high", from which the following corruptions emerge: Esha, Aleshut, and Alessia. She was also known upon her crowning as Paravant, "the first of its kind", which becomes Paraval, Pevesh, Perrethu, Perrif, and (Morihaus' preferred name for her when they were lovers) Paravania. <Edit> Something worth pointing out here: Remanada lists Alessia as the wife of Shor, Auri-el, AND Morihaus. This should be taken with a grain of salt, as the whole thing seems more like a legend. However, it is confirmed that Alessia and Morihaus were lovers. Remanada also lists another name for her: El-Estia. </Edit> Alessia prayed to Akatosh/the Aedra for relief from the cruelty of the Ayleid slavers, and her prayers were ultimately answered at Sancre Tor by Kyne, probably Akatosh, and probably Shezarr (Shezarr being a Cyrodilic champion of mankind, this would make sense; but historical revisionism has probably come into play, as Akatosh is and has been chief of the divines for while now, and Shezarr has fallen out of favor. Also, this conflicts with the theory that "Akatosh" did not exist until later, when the Alessian Empire established worship of the Eight Divines and reconciled aspects of Auri-el and Alduin into a single god. However, she was most certainly visited by a benevolent draconic god, as you will see. Additionally, Mannimarco confirms the ties between Akatosh and the Chim-el Adabal.) However, this is where accounts start to conflict.

The Chim-el Adabal/Amulet of Kings

First, my attempt to dissect the name. We know that CHIM is the Ehlnofex symbol for royalty. El seems to be some kind of elvish/Ehlnofex for star, as Tamriel means "starry heart", and the elvish "Pelinal" (glorious knight) is a corruption of PELIN-EL, or "Star-made knight". The capitalization suggests Ehlnofex is the language of origin. "Ada" means divine spirit, and bal means stone. Put it all together, and we get Royal-star Spiritstone, which is quite fitting as it is a symbol of royalty which was given by the gods, and is also described as a powerful soul gem housing the souls of all the Emperors of Tamriel.

On its origins: it is said that a drop of blood fell from the Heart of Lorkhan as Auri-el shot it down to Vvardenfell; the Ayleids then cut it into the Red Diamond, the Chim-el Adabal. At the start of the Alessian Empire, the Red Diamond was made into the centerpiece of the Amulet of Kings, with eight smaller gems to represent the divines arrayed around it. This is but one of many examples of "the eight and the one" motif which can be found all over Elder Scrolls lore.

According to Trials of St. Alessia, Akatosh gave Alessia the Amulet of Kings, as well as the blood of the dragon, as part of his covenant with her: "So long as the Blood of the Dragon runs strong in her rulers, the glory of the Empire shall extend in unbroken years. But should the dragonfires fail, and should no heir of our joined blood wear the Amulet of Kings, then shall the Empire descend into darkness, and the Demon Lords of Misrule shall govern the land." We are also told of this in The Amulet of Kings by Wenegrus Monhana, though neither source says when or where this happens. UESP states that this happens on Alessia's deathbed in 1E 266, but I cannot find a source to corroborate this; it also doesn't make much sense, because this seems like an event which would coincide with the founding of the Empire, not something that would happen 23 years later.

I don't want to dive too deep into the rabbit hole that is lore on Pelinal Whitestrake, as that would be a task unto itself, but he's definitely worth mentioning here. The Song of Pelinal states that KYNE gives Perrif a red diamond which is capable of transforming into PELIN-EL. It later states that Pelinal has no heart, only a red diamond. This diamond is, in all likelihood, the Chim-el Adabal. Once again, there is no mention of when or where this happens, but it is most likely during her visions at Sancre Tor. As you will see, this assumption will fit in quite nicely with the founding of the next two empires.

With all of this, the Red Diamond/Amulet of Kings becomes (arguably) the most important symbol of the Empire, spanning across multiple empires. <Edit> One final note on the Amulet: only a Dragonborn is capable of wearing it. If anyone else attempts to wear it, it will slip off. </Edit>

The Death of Alessia

Alessia died in 1E 266. We don't know when she was born, so we don't know her age, and I could not find her cause of death. UESP states that she was sainted on her deathbed by Akatosh or Shezarr, though the sources they link honestly say nothing of the sort. However, one of the sources they link (The Cleansing of the Fane) does mention her apotheosis in 1E 266, the year of her death. This is a very interesting word choice: had it been canonization, this would support the fact that she is called Saint Alessia. However, the word apotheosis typically means deification; I think that what really happened is that Alessia became a God, not a Saint, but some historical revisionism came into play, leading most modern sources to refer to her as "Saint Alessia". Once again, this idea will play quite nicely with the founding of the next two Empires. <Edit> Nobody knows where Alessia is buried. Most people seem to think she's either buried at the Temple of the One, or at Sancre Tor. My personal headcanon, she's buried at the Tor-- you'll see why in part II. </Edit>

The Rule of the First Empire

Interestingly, Alessia's honorific is rarely, if ever, the title of Empress; rather, she is known as Queen Alessia, or Queen-ut-Cyrod. This is possibly because, at the beginning, the Empire only included eastern Cyrodiil. The Empire included some Ayleid vassal-states, which were eventually wiped out by the Alessian Order.

Alessia was succeeded by her heir, Belharza the Man-Bull, the son she had with Morihaus-Breath-of-Kyne, the winged man-bull demigod. We only know of two other rulers of the Alessian Empire: Goreius, crowned in 1E 461, who defeated High King Kjoric the White of Skyrim when he rebelled against the Empire, and was defeated by King Rislav Larich of Skingrad, also known as Rislav the Righteous in 478, which would mark the beginning of the decline of the Empire (though this seems unlikely, as the Empire would grow much more and persist for almost 2000 years more); and Hestra, who began her rule in 1E 1029. She is known for an anti-piracy campaign in Argonia, which culminated in the capture of the infamous pirate, "Red" Bramman. She was also known for bringing High Rock into the Empire, improving roads, and an enchanted Gown of State said to repel inimical spells, ward off fatigue, and even grant the wearer the ability to levitate. She also shares a name with the Hestra runestones found in TES IV: Oblivion, which are large magical stones capable of giving a "doom-driven hero" bound daedric weapons and armor. Their origins are mysterious and unknown, but their connection to Hestra can be guessed at: it is possible she had them moved to their current locations to be used as beacons, as a part of the effort to improve Cyrodiil's roads.

The Alessian Order

The Empire was soon transformed by the rise of the Alessian Order. Formed in Colovia by the prophet Marukh (who was, in all likelihood, an Imga), they preached monotheism, though they tolerated polytheism as well. Marukh claimed to have heard the words of Alessia's spirit, and he recorded them with his own blood. They were particularly opposed to elves, especially Ayleids, and this made them charismatic in the eyes of men. They sacked Ayleid settlements starting in the early 1E 300s, and began cultivating support and political clout amongst the populace of Cyrodiil. By 1E 361, their Doctrines became law throughout the Empire, and it is said that the arch-prelate of the Order was nearly equal in power to the Emperor.

The previously mentioned Camoran Dynasty had been friendly with the Empire, but the rise of the Alessian Order would sour this relationship. Meanwhile, the First Empire of the Nords would have fluctuating relationships with the Order; the Nords, who had not known elven rule for centuries (if ever, they may have been a fairly separate society from the Falmer), could not sympathize with the need to capitulate to elvish beliefs. However, Nords typically do not get along with elves, and probably appreciated the anti-elven stance the Order took. High King Borgas was a fervent supporter, and was killed by the Wild Hunt of Valenwood for it.

<Edit> Thanks to u/TenCentFang and u/Commander-Gro-Badul for pointing me towards this: A story of note here is one by Nonus Caprenius, who asserts that Minotaurs were once as sapient as any of the Playable Races^TM . Based on what we know of Morihaus and Belharza, this seems somewhat accurate; Morihaus says in The Adabal-a "but I am a bull, and therefore reckless in my wit," so this may not entirely be true. However, given that Belharza was a Minotaur who became Emperor, it's not an entirely flawed assumption, as it does not seem like the Minotaurs encountered in TES IV: Oblivion are anything but monsters. He then lays the blame for this squarely at the feet of the Alessian Order, though his reasoning for this blame seems somewhat specious. </Edit>

As the Order spread, schisms began to develop within the priesthood. Additionally, Nordic influence and a fear of the Ra Gada in Hammerfell meant that their power paled in western Cyrodiil compared to the East. Resistance to the Doctrines in the west would eventually lead to the formation of the Colovian Estates, and the downfall of the Order and Empire.

Teachings

The Seventy-Seven Inflexible Doctrines were written by Marukh after his "Century of Penance" in the Stonemeadows, when he claimed to hear Alessia speak to him. It is worth noting that he was in a "tortured delirium" at the time. He believed that death is an illusion, and that devotion to "Proper-Life and Ehlnofic Annulment" can allow the Arkayn Cycle to be broken. Finally, they did not believe in any sort of separation of church and state; to defy the Empire was to defy the Gods, and vice versa.

His code states "all are guilty until they have proven themselves innocent", which has had a lasting influence on justice in Tamriel. It also forbade "trafficke with daimons", and I'm assuming "daimon" means daedra. His preachings would also lead to the proliferation of the Eight Divines, which is interesting given the anti-elven stance of the Order, which would frequently destroy elven settlements and burn their writings.

The Marukhati Selective and the Middle Dawn

Note: This is another rabbit hole I could probably devote an entire post to. I'll try to keep it brief, but relevant.

The Marukhati Selective was an elite sect of the Alessian Order. Their beliefs are detailed in The Exclusionary Mandates:

>The Exclusionary Mandates of Maruhkite Selection: All Are Equal
1: That the Supreme Spirit Akatosh is of unitary essence, as proven by the monolinearity of Time.
1: That Shezarr the missing sibling is Singularly Misplaced and therefore Doubly Venerated.
1: That the protean substrate that informs all denial of (1) is the Aldmeri Taint.
1: That the Prophet Most Simian demonstrated that monothought begets Proper-Life.
1: That the purpose of Proper-Life is the Expungement of the Taint.
1: That the Arc of Time provides the mortal theater for the Sacred Expungement.
1: That Akatosh is Time is Proper-Life is Taint-Death.

The Selectives were so anti-elven that they were bent on proving that Akatosh had no elven influences. When they could not do this, they instead elected to remove those influences from him. They danced upon the Staff of Towers until it trembled and spoke its protonymic ("Tam! RUGH!"). The Staff of Towers split into eight pieces, and the dragon broke for the first time in recorded history. This period of time (or broken time, as it were) was known as the Middle Dawn, and lasted for 1008 years, another example of the "eight and the one" motif (it's everywhere). Nobody is quite sure when it began and when it ended, but the Elder Council estimates that it lasted from 1E 1200 to 1E 2208. Of course, all documents from this time conflict with one another, because time was non-linear, but they all agree on one thing: one by one, eight stars fell from the sky. Mannimarco has an interesting comment here, claiming that the High King of Alinor is the one responsible for the Middle Dawn; however, he then goes on to imply that the Selectives were the ones responsible for it.

Interestingly enough, Fal Droon thinks that Dragon Breaks do not exist, and that the Alessian Order only existed for about 150 years. I think he is wrong, as The Warp in the West is pretty well-defined as a dragon break, considering that the player character of Daggerfall experiences it firsthand. We also see evidence that the concept of a dragon break existed during the events of ESO, meaning that it could not have been a "Third Era fabrication". He also seems to confuse the Order with the Middle Dawn; the Order clearly lasted about 2000 years, not 1008.

The Fall of the Alessian Empire

High Rock left the Empire in 1E 2305 due to the excesses of the Alessian Order (citation needed). This would come just 16 years before the true beginning of the end of the great Alessian Empire in 1E 2321, when infighting amongst the priesthood of the Alessian Order gave way to the formation of the Colovian Estates when western Cyrodiil seceded. With waning money, land, and power, the Empire broke out into war. The War of Righteousness lasted for 10 years, and in its wake, both the Alessian Order and the Alessian Empire were disbanded in 1E 2331. For nearly 400 years, Cyrodiil and the whole of Tamriel itself would remain divided.

Final Points on the Alessian Empire

I could not find a distinct list of which lands were under the rule of the Alessian Empire at the height of its power; all that I can confirm is that the whole of Cyrodiil was a part, as well as High Rock. Hammerfell and Skyrim may have been included as well. One of them must have been, as Cyrodiil does not border High Rock. Valenwood and Morrowind were definitely not included, and Black Marsh, Elsweyr, and Summerset Isle were also likely not to have been included.

Though this would be the least extensive of any of the 3 Empires, it would last the longest: a whopping 2088 years, a feat no other would ever come close to matching. It should be noted that we really have no idea what happened during the Middle Dawn, so maybe these years shouldn't all count. Even if we subtract them, we still get 1080 years of non-Dragon Break rule, which is far longer than the Second Empire lasted, and (in my opinion) far longer than the Third Empire will last. The Alessian Empire would also prove to be quite formative for Tamriel, giving rise to the Amulet of Kings, the Eight Divines, an Imperial seat of power at White-Gold Tower, not to mention the founding of the Imperial City, and the first attempt at a grand unification of various regions of Tamriel, which differ greatly in race, landscape, climate, and culture.

Some important things to keep in mind about Alessia, as the series moves forward:

• Alessia founded the First Empire
• Alessia (probably) received the Chim-el Adabal (or possibly, the Amulet of Kings) at Sancre Tor, right before she would found the Empire
• Alessia is venerated as a saint, or possibly worshiped as a god, after her death