Lore:Uriel Septim VII

was the twenty-first emperor of the   and  . Inheriting the throne from his late father,  , in  , Uriel VII reigned for 55 of the 65 years he was crowned emperor, until his assassination in  .

During his rule Uriel VII wed lady Caula Voria, and sired four legitimate heirs: Ariella, Geldall, Enman and Ebel.   He additionally fathered at least two bastards: Calaxes (who was publicly acknowledged)  and Martin (who was secreted away and unacknowledged).  

Biography
Early Life
Shortly after Uriel's father, Pelagius IV, was coronated Emperor of Tamriel, Queen Barenziah and Prime Minister Symmachus attended a dinner with the Septim Royal Family. At that youthful age, Uriel insisted that a place be set at every meal for his imaginary female playmate: Justin. Of course, Uriel would soon grew out this. However, it would inspire a long running joke between Symmachus and Uriel throughout the monarch's reign; Symmachus would inquire into Justin's health whenever he met with the Emperor, and Uriel would respond mock-seriously on every occasion. One time Uriel elaborately explained to Symmachus that Justin had met an adventurous, though incorrigible, Khajiit youth, married him, and settled down in Lilandril to raise fire ferns and mugworts. 

Emperor of Tamriel
When Emperor Pelagius IV died in   after an astonishing twenty-nine year reign, Tamriel was closer to unity than it had been since the days of Uriel I. His son, Uriel VII, succeeded him. According to historians, Uriel had the diligence of his grand-aunt Morihatha, the political skill of his grand-uncle Uriel VI, and the military prowess of his great-grandfather Uriel V. For sixty-five years he reigned and brought justice and order to Tamriel. 

Imperial Simulacrum
In  , Uriel VII was betrayed by Imperial Battlemage Jagar Tharn, who imprisoned him in Oblivion.  Tharn then used illusion magic to assume the Emperor's identity. As the Amulet of Kings would warn the Elder Council in the event of Uriel VII's death, Tharn held Uriel VII in a dimension where time ran slower, ensuring it would take centuries for the true Emperor to die.  For the next ten years, Tharn abused imperial privilege but did not continue Uriel VII's schedule of reconquest. It is not entirely known what Tharn's goals and personal accomplishments were during the ten years he imitated his liege lord.  

Tharn was eventually defeated in   by the  , who freed Uriel VII from his other-dimensional cell.  After his release, Uriel VII worked diligently to renew the battle to reunite Tamriel. Tharn's interference broke the momentum, but the following years proved that the lauded golden age of Tiber Septim could return to Tamriel once more.

Later Life
Uriel took considerable personal interest in the Nerevarine Prophecy in Morrowind, and in   he dispatched an agent of obscure origins to Vvardenfell to fulfill the legend, with apparent success.  

On the 27th of Last Seed,  , the three heirs of Uriel VII were assassinated by the Mythic Dawn, a Daedric Cult. Shortly afterward, the Mythic Dawn assassinated Uriel VII himself.   This left only an illegitimate son of Uriel VII named Martin Septim to claim the throne. 

Uriel VII was troubled all his life by dreams that showed him visions of the future, including his assassination and the start of the Oblivion Crisis that followed.   It was said that the dragon blood possessed by members of the Septim Dynasty allowed them to see more than lesser men. 
 

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Notes
The voice actor for Uriel in Arena is unknown, although Ted Peterson believes he was a local acting student. The actor for Uriel in Daggerfall was John Gilbert. The voice actor for Uriel in Oblivion was Patrick Stewart.
In Daggerfall, the player character is given a personal background history that is determined by their class. In some scenarios such as the Bard and the Rogue, the player character meets the Emperor's child and prince to the Empire. There are six possible names given to the prince. These include "Cassynder", "Cephorus", "Pelagius", "Trabbatus", "Uriel", and "Voragiel". 
In the startup sequence of Arena, it is said that Uriel is celebrating his forty-third birthday while others plot his downfall -- and since it is his forty-third birthday, this must have taken place in  . Emperor's Day from Daggerfall states that Uriel's birthday is on 30 Frostfall. However, the events of Arena start on 1 Hearthfire  , which would almost two months before Emperor's Day. Ultimately, this means that an out-of-world dating mistake may have been made, or that Uriel was enjoying his birthday celebrations early.
During his tenure as the Emperor, Uriel VII had two known secretaries. The earliest known secretary was  , who was also the Emperor's personal liaison to the   prior to its destruction.  The next one after that was  , who sent a correspondence to the   Spymaster on Vvardenfell,   about his task on the island. 

See Also
For game-specific information, see the Oblivion article on Uriel Septim VII.

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