The Second Empire, also known as the Cyrodilic Empire[1], Reman's Imperium,[2] the Empire of Cyrodiil,[3] and the Second Empire of Men,[1] was a human-led empire that, at its height, controlled every region of Tamriel with the exception of Morrowind.[1] The history of the Second Empire is divided into two main periods: the reign of the Reman Dynasty that witnessed the final centuries of the First Era, and the subsequent Akaviri Potentate that ushered in the Second Era.
Reman Dynasty
The Reman Dynasty, also called the Reman Empire, was founded by Reman Cyrodiil after he defeated the Akaviri invasion of Tamriel at the battle of Pale Pass in 1E 2703. Until that point, Tamriel had been divided into several small kingdoms, but once Reman had brought the armies of Colovia and the Nibenay Valley together to defeat the invasion, he was able to unite all of Tamriel's human inhabitants in the face of possible aggression from the Altmer.
Although the Battle of Pale Pass established Reman as the leading power in Tamriel, many parts of the continent refused to acknowledge his rule. Valenwood was not subdued until 1E 2714. In 1E 2811, Cyrodilic forces defeated the last organized army of Argonians at the Battle of Argonia, and the following year saw Argonia admitted to the Empire as a province under the name "Black Marsh". The rest of the province was conquered piecemeal, with the whole area passing under Imperial control in 1E 2837.
The last war of conquest began in around 1E 2840 when Reman II began an attempt to bring Morrowind, the only province outside Imperial control, into the empire. Progress was slow, and the three living gods of Morrowind's Tribunal, Vivec, Almalexia and Sotha Sil proved to be extremely capable leaders. By 1E 2920, both sides were approaching exhaustion and after the Empire captured the fortress of Ald Marak, a truce was agreed to bring an end to the war.
Shortly after the truce Crown Prince Juilek was mistaken for his father by an assassin and slain. Reman III himself was assassinated not long after, on the orders of Potentate Versidue-Shaie, bringing an end to the Reman Dynasty and instigating the period of the Second Empire known as the Akaviri Potentate.
Akaviri Potentate
The Akaviri Potentate, also called the Akaviri Empire, is the name given to the period of the Second Empire after the assassination of Reman III and the end of the Reman Dynasty. Additionally, it is the title given to the rulers of Tamriel both during this period and during the earlier years of the empire.
Under the Remans, the emperor's chief advisor was called the Potentate. In the battle of Pale Pass, Reman I decisively defeated an Akaviri invasion but other events forced him to offer the defeated army amnesty in return for their service in his own army. This led to Akaviri influence in other spheres of life, and over time the position of Potentate was usually filled by one of the snake people.
In the year 1E 2920, the Potentate Versidue-Shaie plotted to overthrow the empire. He assassinated Emperor Reman III shortly after the death of Crown Prince Juilek, and declared Reman's line to be extinct. On 22 Evening Star 2920 Versidue-Shaie declared that he was taking over the leadership of the empire but retaining his title of Potentate. In the same speech, he declared the end of the First Era and the start of the Second.
In order to suppress armies remaining loyal to the Remans, as well as the armies belonging to individual kingdoms seeking greater autonomy, Versidue-Shaie was forced to engage in a relentless series of campaigns that, by the year 2E 283, finally resulted in victory for his forces. This suppression of those loyal to the Remans may have been the "Reman purges", where the Potentates invented contraptions for cutting off heads. The cost of the campaigns was immense, resulting in the impoverishment of both the empire and its constituent kingdoms and in an effort to maintain order without the expense of a standing army, in 2E 321 Versidue-Shaie agreed to a proposal from his kinsman Dinieras-Ves that established what was to become known as the Fighters Guild.
In 2E 324, Versidue-Shaie was assassinated by the Morag Tong and succeeded by his son, Savirien-Chorak. In 2E 400 Savirien-Chorak held a celebration to commemorate four centuries of potentate rule. In turn, he was assassinated along with all his heirs on one night in Sun's Dawn 2E 430, bringing a final end to the Second Empire and signaling the start of the Interregnum. Subsequent rulers of the Imperial Province retained the name of the Empire of Cyrodiil, but this was never ruled by a Dragonborn emperor and did not extend beyond the borders of Cyrodiil.
RulersEdit
| Name | Born | Race | Crowned | Died, Deposed, Abdicated, or Office Abolished |
Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Second Empire — Reman Dynasty | |||||
| Reman I | 1E ?[nb 1] | Imperial | 1E 2703[1] | 1E 2762[4] | Founded the Second Empire and Reman Dynasty. He never took the title of Emperor in his lifetime.[5] |
| Kastav | 1E ? | Imperial | 1E 2762[nb 2] | 1E 2804 (deposed)[6], | |
| Reman II | 1E 2794[8] | Imperial | 1E 2804 (deposition of Kastav)[6], | 1E 2843[6][8] | |
| Brazollus Dor[nb 4] | 1E ? | Imperial | 1E 2843[6][10][8] | 1E 2877[11][10] | |
| Reman III | 1E ? | Imperial[nb 5] | 1E 2877[11] | 1E 2920[12] | Assassinated by the Morag Tong.[13] |
| Second Empire — Akaviri Potentate | |||||
| Versidue-Shaie | 1E ? | Tsaesci | 1E 2920[14] | 2E 324[13] | Assassinated by the Morag Tong.[13] |
| Savirien-Chorak | 1E ? | Tsaesci | 2E 324 | 2E 430[15] | Assassinated by the Dark Brotherhood.[13][nb 6] |
NotesEdit
- ^ The Remanada contains an allegorical story of Reman emerging from Sancre Tor as a child, but this should not be taken as literal truth.
- ^ Reman I died in 1E 2762 and it is reasonable to assume that his successor was crowned almost immediately afterwards.
- ^ The exact year of Kastav's death and the ascension of his successor, Reman II, is not specified by Annals of the Dragonguard. Sky Haven Temple was cut off from contact with Kastav in 1E 2804 and under siege during 1E 2805 and 1E 2806, so no news of the outside world reached the members of the Dragonguard stationed there. Only after the siege was lifted did they become aware of Reman II's ascension. However, given his 39 years of rule mentioned on his epitaph and his death in 1E 2843 according to Reman II: The Limits of Ambition, Reman II likely deposed Kastav in 1E 2804. Reman II was probably only officially crowned after Kastav's death in 1E 2812.
- ^ Brazollus Dor was placed between Reman II and Reman III by High King Emeric in High King Emeric Answers Your Questions. Despite being ruler, nearly all issues of policy and politics were delegated to his Potentate, Sidri-Ashak.
- ^ His race is never stated, however his son Juilek is revered to as a "Cyrodiil" in 2920, The Last Year of the First Era
- ^ It's controversial which assassin organisation really killed the last Akaviri Potentate. While literature speaks of the Dark Brotherhood, a Morag Tong assassin in ESO implies his ancestor was responsible for the assassination.
ReferencesEdit
- ^ a b c d Pocket Guide to the Empire, 1st Edition: Cyrodiil — Imperial Geographical Society, 2E 864
- ^ Crafting Motif 26: Daggerfall Covenant Style — General Baryctor Stelanie
- ^ History of the Fighters Guild
- ^ Tomb in Sancre Tor: "Here lies Reman of Cyrodiil. He defeated the Akaviri Horde and brought peace to Tamriel. 2762."
- ^ The Book of the Dragonborn — Prior Emelene Madrine
- ^ a b c d Reman II: The Limits of Ambition — High King Emeric
- ^ Emperor Kastav's Epitaph — Honor Guard Captain Sadineras-Kor
- ^ a b c d Tomb in Sancre Tor: "Here lies Reman II of Cyrodiil, crowned Emperor of Tamriel in the year 2812. He fell in battle against the Dark Elves, in the fifty-seventh year of his age, after a reign of thirty-nine years and eight months wanting a day."
- ^ Annals of the Dragonguard — Brother Annulus
- ^ a b High King Emeric Answers Your Questions — High King Emeric
- ^ a b Tomb in Sancre Tor: "Here lies Reman III, last Emperor of the Cyrodiils, the scourge of the Dark Elves, who was cruelly slain by treachery, in the year 2920. He reigned forty-three years."
- ^ 2920, The Last Year of the First Era — Carlovac Townway
- ^ a b c d The Brothers of Darkness — Pellarne Assi
- ^ 2920, The Last Year of the First Era — Carlovac Townway
- ^ Pocket Guide to the Empire, 3rd Edition: The Seat of Sundered Kings: Cyrodiil — Imperial Geographical Society, 3E 432