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High Queen Yrsa Snowblade, formally known as the Daughter of the Third House of Skerd, Heir to the Sacred Warhorn of Valdimar, and Guardian of the Holy Torc of Bromjunaar, was the 17th monarch in the line of Ysgramor and the first High Queen of Skyrim. Under her lengthy rule the First Empire of the Nords enjoyed an golden age resulting in numerous advances and discoveries.
In her youth, princess Yrsa was a well-loved noble from House Asbjorn who, according to legend, "bewitched all of Tamriel with her grace and beauty". She was a gifted schemer who knew how to maneuver her way in court politics. Ysra's strength was in her ability to win the minds and loyalties of both the common folk and nobility.
Ysgramor's Decree
Queen Yrsa was crowned in 1E 272 and inherited a vast continent-spanning empire that was made possible by her predecessor's fervent belief in Ysgramor's Degree, a sacred oath that called upon all Nords to expand and conquer the nations of elvenkind. While this law had served the Nordic kingdom well when it came to expanding its borders, the emergence of another human empire in Cyrodiil was unexpected and essentially halted Nordic expansion. The Alessian Empire of the south had become allied to Skyrim during their war with the Ayleids and a treaty between both nations brought much wealth and prosperity over the years.
To complicate matters further the reigning emperor of the Alessian Empire, Belharza the Man-Bull, had recently swore an alliance with the Camoran Dynasty of Valenwood and had built a vast army since the passing of his mother, Empress Alessia.
With two formidable empires in the south now united, Queen Yrsa was unable to expand her kingdom without destroying her alliance with the Belharza. Surprisingly, peacetime was agreeable with the High Queen. She had numerous plans for the vast empire under her charge and another costly war would only divert her attention. Of course, Ysgramor's Decree wasn't formally abolished (to do so would have been tantamount to heresy) but rather suspended temporarily until she saw fit.
Most conflict in the early years of her rule was centered around putting down minor revolts in High Rock and the Western Reach. Her sole campaign of expansion was an attempt at pushing the borders of the Empire into Argonia in 1E 275. The result was a complete failure when most of the 8th and 9th voice-brigade fell to "giant lizardmen" and the survivors succumbed to disease.
Age of Progress
With peacetime, Skyrim entered a golden age where numerous advances in magic, alchemy, smithing, art and philosophy were made. She abolished mandatory conscription in her armies and drastically reduced tribute that each Hold was subject to. One of Queen Yrsa's most lasting contributions to the nation was when she granted her personal clever-man Archmage Shalidor unlimited resources to establish a institute of magic in the capital. The College of Winterhold quickly became a shining beacon of magical learning and research that has endured to this day.
Queen Yrsa broke ancient traditions when she revoked her own betrothal to Thane Hjakiild of Snowhawk. As the ruler of the Empire her power was total and therefore such marriages of convenience were of no use to her or her house. When she did decide to marry, the Skerd-King she chose was neither a respected noble or fearsome warrior but a famed explorer and adventurer. While her marriage to Bjornsen the Fleet was unconventional, it was said to be very popular with the citizenry.
Relations with the Alessian Empire went from strength to strength as the decades passed and Nordic migrants (known as "Cyro-Nords") began to populate parts of Cyrodiil. The Nordic way of life agreed with the Nedes in the neighboring region of Colovia in particular, and over time both the Cyro-Nords and Nedes became almost culturally indistinguishable. Conversely, some Nordic clans migrated into the forests of the Nibenay Valley and birthed what we call today the Nibenese - a group culturally and economically independent from Skyrim.
Yrsa's respect for Belharza grew over the years and for her Konunleikar in 1E 282 (the tenth anniversary of her coronation) she formally invited the Emperor and the royal family to Skyrim. According to legend, Belharza arrived in Winterhold with a vast procession consisting of his herd-kin, personal honor guard and a three hundred caravans bearing fine ancestor silks and rare spices.
The Massacre of Sancre Tor
It was 1E 299 and High Queen Yrsa was almost 60 years old. Under her rule, Skyrim enjoyed almost 30 years of peace and prosperity. However peacetime brought with it a restless standing army who yearned for battle. Her most vocal critic was Thane Yngnavar Ghost-Bear of the royal House of Hjornskar, who frequently petitioned for war with the elves of Valenwood. Thane Yngnavar was also one of Queen Yrsa's most ruthless generals and the commander of the infamous Black Regiment.
Despite Yrsa's command to respect the alliance with the south, Yngnavar marched the Black Regiment through the Colovian Highlands towards the holy city of Sancre Tor. In an effort to destroy the alliance with Belharza, his army (said to numbered in the thousands) sacked the city and executed the ruling council before declaring it would be the staging ground for his invasion into Valenwood.
Word of the massacre reached both Emperor Belharza and Queen Yrsa - and while many in Skyrim expected the south to retaliate, the war Thane Yngnavar hoped for didn't come. Belharza wisely saw through Yngnavar's scheme and instead sent his legions to retake Sancre Tor. A joint Alessian and Nordic army laid siege to the city and while its fortified walls were formidable, it was eventually retaken.
Thane Yngnavar was brought before Queen Yrsa who ordered his immediate execution. The House of Hjornskar was disgraced and Yrsa boldly decreed that none from Yngnavar's royal house would be eligible to rule as High King thereafter. Although Yngnavar's clan faced much persecution and disdain from the Skerd nobles, siding with foreigners damaged Yrsa's standing among the common folk greatly.
Prophecy of the Usurper
In 1E 332, the elderly Queen Yrsa and her most trusted Jarls traveled to the Imperial City at Emperor Belharza's urgent request. According to sealed records uncovered in Windhelm's archives, Belharza's conclave of Moth Priests learned of a dire prophecy within an Elder Scroll. The exact translation of the prophecy, later named the "Prophecy of the Usurper", was not recorded in any royal official correspondence (no doubt intentionally). However its import was such that Belharza insisted the High Queen come to Cyrodiil personally. An excerpt from the prophecy reads:
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- ...when the White Tower is sated by the blood of the Dragonborn's heirs will a Lupine Bastard rise from among the Sky's Children claim the realm of the Hawk... but the Snow Tower shall once more lie sundered, kingless and bleeding while the shadow of the Seven and One is cast across the Starry Heart for an age. Only then will the Sacred Expungement manifest and time reshape.
Those of us who know our history will be aware this foreboding prophecy did eventually come to pass, but for Belharza it was the confirmation of what he already believed was coming. Several years prior, Belharza has become increasingly reclusive and paranoid, believing that his rule was being threatened from within. His journals reveal that his dreams were frequently plagued by disturbing visions of a great dragon engulfing the Imperial City in fire.
Many scholars have noted the revelation in the prophecy coincided with the rise of a religious order known as the Holy Brothers of Marukh. Following the Massacre of Sancre Tor, the order emerged in Colovia and began spreading throughout Cyrodiil. Its teachings directly opposed many of Beharza's rulings, particularly those that allowed the existence of Ayleid vassal-states. Historians have long analysed why the anti-elven order became so popular among the common folk. Many Nedes still held resentment towards the Ayleids and sought to drive them from the land. Others saw Belharza and his heirs as nothing more that beasts unworthy to sit upon the Ruby Throne. Regardless, the teaching of the order quickly spread surreptitiously throughout the citizenry, making it impossible for Belharza to distinguish between friend or foe.
The Alessian Coup
The Annals state that when Queen Yrsa and her Jarls arrived in the Imperial City, she was received in private by Belharza and his most trusted advisers and moth priests. Together they formed a clandestine assembly in the Dragonfire Cathedral where they sought to better understand and act upon the threat to their respective empires.
At least that was their intention. On the third day of the assembly what Belharza feared did indeed come to pass. A coup against his rule took place in the capital as he met privately with Queen Yrsa. Accounts of what happened next are fragmented, contradictory or simply falsehoods but the aftermath is consistent. Both Queen Yrsa and Emperor Belharza were slain that fateful day.
The Alessian accounts claim the Bull-Emperor killed Queen Yrsa in a fit of madness before her guards cut him down. The Nordic Annals (formed largely from the testimonials of her Jarls) claim Yrsa was killed when a skirmish between the Belharza's honor guard and rebel Alessian legionaries broke out in the cathedral. Other accounts claim Yrsa was killed by an assassin's arrow that was intended for Belharza. Perhaps most interesting of all is a fragment of an ancient tablet that depicts Belharza being slayed by his own honor guard with the mantra "all are guilty until they have proven themselves innocent" etched across the plaque.
Regardless, Queen Yrsa was dead but her Jarls miraculously survived the slaughter in the Dragonfire Cathedral. The Nordic Annals explain their survival with the tale of a hitherto unknown Cyro-Nordic chieftain who heroically "rescued" the Jarls from certain death. Their savior was very same man who was later revealed to be from the bloodline of Ysgramor, and furthermore, somehow ascended to the throne of Skyrim itself.
I am of course alluding to the infamous last monarch of Ysgramor's Dynasty: Borgas, son of Yngnavar Ghost-Bear.