The Madness of Pelagius Content . The Madness of Pelagius is written by Tsathenes , Profiling the renowned Mad Emperor - - - - The man who would be Emperor of all Tamriel was born Thoriz Pelagius Septim , a prince of the royal family of Wayrest in 3E 119 at the end of the glorious reign of his uncle , Antiochus I . Wayrest had been showered by much preference during the years before Pelagius ' birth , for King Magnus was Antiochus ' favorite brother . It is hard to say when Pelagius ' madness first manifested itself , for , in truth , the first ten years of his life were marked by much insanity in the land itself . When Pelagius was just over a year old , Antiochus died and a daughter , Kintyra II , assumed the throne to the acclaim of all . Kintyra II was Pelagius ' cousin and an accomplished mystic and sorceress . If she had sufficient means to peer into the future , she would have surely fled the palace . The story of the War of the Red Diamond has been told in many other scholarly journals , but as most historians agree , Kintyra II ' s reign was usurped by her and Pelagius ' cousin Uriel , by the power of his mother , Potema — the so - called wolf queen of Solitude . The year after her coronation , Kintyra was trapped in Glenpoint and imprisoned in the Imperial dungeons there . All of Tamriel exploded into warfare as Prince Uriel took the throne as Uriel III , and High Rock , because of the imprisoned Empress ' presence there , was the location of some of the bloodiest battles . Pelagius ' father , King Magnus , allied himself with his brother Cephorus against the usurper Emperor , and brought the wrath of Uriel III and Queen Potema down on Wayrest . Pelagius , his brothers and sisters , and his mother Utheilla fled to the Isle of Balfiera . Utheilla was of the line of Direnni , and her family manse is still located on that ancient isle even to this day . There is thankfully much written record of Pelagius ' childhood in Balfiera recorded by nurses and visitors . All who met him described him as a handsome , personable boy , interested in sport , magic , and music . Even assuming diplomats ' lack of candor , Pelagius seemed , if anything , a blessing to the future of the Septim Dynasty . When Pelagius was eight , Cephorus slew Uriel III at the Battle of Ichidag and proclaimed himself Emperor Cephorus I . For the next ten years of his reign , Cephorus battled Potema . Pelagius ' first battle was the Siege of Solitude , which ended with Potema ' s death and the final end of the war . In gratitude , Cephorus placed Pelagius on the throne of Solitude . As king of Solitude , Pelagius ' eccentricities of behavior began to be noticeable . As a favorite nephew of the Emperor , few diplomats to Solitude made critical commentary about Pelagius . For the first two years of his reign , Pelagius was at the very least noted for his alarming shifts in weight . Four months after taking the throne , a diplomat from Ebonheart called Pelagius " a hale and hearty soul with a heart so big , it widens his waist " ; five months after that , the visiting princess of Firsthold wrote to her brother that " the king ' s gripped my hand and it felt like I was being clutched by a skeleton . Pelagius is greatly emaciated , indeed . " Cephorus never married and died childless three years after the Siege of Solitude . As the only surviving sibling , Pelagius ' father Magnus left the throne of Wayrest and took residence at the Imperial City as the Emperor Magnus I . Magnus was elderly and Pelagius was his oldest living child , so the attention of Tamriel focused on Solitude . By this time , Pelagius ' eccentricities were becoming infamous . There are many legends about his acts as King of Solitude , but few well - documented cases exist . It is known that Pelagius locked the young princes and princesses of Silvenar in his room with him , only releasing them when an unsigned Declaration of War was slipped under the door . When he tore off his clothes during a speech he was giving at a local festival , his advisors apparently decided to watch him more carefully . On the orders of Magnus , Pelagius was married to the beautiful heiress of an ancient Dark Elf noble family , Katariah Ra ' athim . Nord ic kings who marry Dark Elves seldom improve their popularity . There are two reasons most scholars give for the union . Magnus was trying to cement relations with Ebonheart , where the Ra ' athim clan hailed . Ebonheart ' s neighbor , Mournhold , had been a historical ally of the Empire since the very beginning , and the royal consort of Queen Barenziah had won many battles in the War of the Red Diamond . Ebonheart had a poorly - kept secret of aiding Uriel III and Potema . The other reason for the marriage was more personal : Katariah was as shrewd a diplomat as she was beautiful . If any creature was capable of hiding Pelagius ' madness , it was she . On the 8th of Second Seed , 3E 145 , Magnus I died quietly in his sleep . Jolethe , Pelagius ' sister took over the throne of Solitude , and Pelagius and Katariah rode to the Imperial City to be crowned Emperor and Empress of Tamriel . It is said that Pelagius fainted when the crown was placed on his head , but Katariah held him up so only those closest to the thrones could see what had happened . Like so many Pelagius stories , this cannot be verified . Pelagius Septim III never truly ruled Tamriel . Katariah and the Elder Council made all the decisions and only tried to keep Pelagius from embarrassing all . Still , stories of Pelagius Septim III ' s reign exist . It was said that when the Argonian ambassador from Blackrose came to court , Pelagius insisted on speaking in all grunts and squeaks , as that was the Argonian ' s natural language . It is known that Pelagius was obsessed with cleanliness , and many guests reported waking to the noise of an early - morning scrubdown of the Imperial Palace . The legend of Pelagius while inspecting the servants ' work , suddenly defecating on the floor to give them something to do , is probably apocryphal . When Pelagius began actually biting and attacking visitors to the Imperial Palace , it was decided to send him to a private asylum . Katariah was proclaimed regent two years after Pelagius took the throne . For the next six years , the Emperor stayed in a series of institutions and asylums . Traitors to the Empire have many lies to spread about this period . Whispered stories of hideous experiments and tortures performed on Pelagius have almost become accepted as fact . The noble lady Katariah became pregnant shortly after the Emperor was sent away , and rumors of infidelity and , even more absurd , conspiracies to keep the sane Emperor locked away , ran amok . As Katariah proved , her pregnancy came about after a visit to her husband ' s cell . With no other evidence , as loyal subjects , we are bound to accept the Empress ' word on the matter . Her second child , who would reign for many years as Uriel IV , was the child of her union with her consort Lariate , and publicly acknowledged as such . On a warm night in Suns Dawn , in his 34th year , Pelagius Septim III died after a brief fever in his cell at the Temple of Kynareth in the Isle of Betony . Katariah I reigned for another forty six years before passing the scepter onto the only child she had with Pelagius , Cassynder Septim . Pelagius ' wild behavior has made him perversely dear to the province of his birth and death . The 2nd of Suns Dawn , which may or may not be the anniversary of his death ( records are not very clear ) is celebrated as Mad Pelagius Day , the time when foolishness of all sorts is encouraged . And so , one of the least desirable Emperors in the history of the Septim Dynasty , has become one of the most famous ones .