Lore:Daggerfall Covenant

The   was a military alliance between the   kingdoms of  ,  ,  ,  , and  , the northern   kingdom of   and the city of  , and also   during the chaotic   of the  . It vied with the   and   for control over the contested Ruby Throne in  . The Covenant saw itself as the successor to the   and aimed to restore the   with the legitimacy to rule all of  .  They advocated economic prosperity and the worship of the  .  In this mission it was led by a Royal Council, presided over by High King  , a   merchant lord of superb diplomatic skill.  The  s were represented by King  , and the  s by King   gro-Bagrakh. 

History
right
There were actually two Daggerfall Covenants, although the first was made up only of small kingdoms within High Rock. Thus, most references to the Covenant are to the second, or Greater, Daggerfall Covenant which united multiple provinces and races.

First Daggerfall Covenant
The first Covenant was formed in response to the invasion of High Rock in   by   under the command of Durcorach, the "Black Drake". The invasion was a complete surprise, and was only barely repulsed after months of fighting, led by   of   and Earl Emeric of  .  In the aftermath, the kings of Daggerfall, Wayrest,  ,  , and   signed the Covenant as a defensive pact against foreign threats.  The kingdoms rebuilt and prospered, and Emeric ascended to the throne of Wayrest due to the  .

Greater Daggerfall Covenant
:''"The Covenant represents the continuing ideals of Reman's Imperium, the uncontested height of Tamrielic civilization, when everyone, even the Orcs, were included in history's greatest confederation. Insofar as we seek to restore those lost glories, we deliberately hark back to them in our designs and symbolism."'' — Crafting Motif 26: Daggerfall Covenant

As king, it was expected that Emeric would wed the daughter of King   of Shornhelm, but in   he suddenly married Princess  , the Redguard daughter of King Fahara'jad.  This strengthened diplomatic and trade relations between High Rock and Hammerfell, but it also enraged Ranser, who hired a host of mercenaries and stormed Wayrest. The city would have fallen, had not Emeric's shrewd diplomacy paid off.  The other kingdoms of High Rock honored their earlier Covenant and came to his defense, while Fahara'jad, now an ally by marriage, sent elite troops across the  . These combined forces were enough to rout Ranser's army, who retreated only to find that their homeland had been sacked in their absence by the Orcs under King Kurog. Emeric had sent an emissary requesting their aid in exchange for a guarantee that Orsinium would be re-established as a sovereign territory.  Ranser was utterly crushed, and this new arrangement of alliances formed the second Daggerfall Covenant, aiming to conquer Cyrodiil and succeed the Second Empire. 

In  , the Covenant invaded Cyrodiil, putting it in direct conflict with the Ebonheart Pact and the newly-formed Aldmeri Dominion. This led to open hostilities and the start of the  , with all three sides vying for control of the  -occupied  . The Covenant also launched a simultaneous naval invasion of the Pact homeland, although it was unsuccessful. The Orcs of   joined the Covenant soon after. With much of its forces in Cyrodiil, the Covenant faced attacks from  , necromancers, agents of  ,  's forces, and even an  , but managed to repel them all. It also faced political instability in   and a potential   rebellion against Fahara'jad, and briefly flirted with total collapse following the death of Emeric, although the High King was promptly resurrected. Although it didn't take part directly, the Covenant sanctioned the invasion of   which contributed to the ending of the  .  In the autumn, civil war broke out in the region of   between the kingdom of   and several Orc clan chiefs who refused to acknowledge Kurog's rule. The violence ended with the death of Kurog, and   was crowned as king of a united Wrothgar. This ended Orsinium's membership of the Daggerfall Covenant, although Bazrag was willing to renegotiate with Emeric. 

Tamriel Covenant
Although their plan was never realized, the leaders of the Covenant intended to crown High King Emeric as Emperor of a third   and found a new Imperial dynasty after conquering the   of Cyrodiil and taking the Ruby Throne. With this achieved, the Covenant would have been in an ideal position to invade and conquer the other two alliances and proclaim the Tamriel Covenant. Under this new empire, the Royal Council would have been replaced by a Grand Council, with a seat for every kingdom in Tamriel.  This scenario was not to be, as the Daggerfall Covenant ultimately crumbled; the true   was proclaimed by   in  , ending the Interregnum period. 

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See Also
For game-specific information, see the ESO article.
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References