Tiber Wars The Tiber Wars , also known as the Talosian conquest , were a series of wars during the late Second Era , in which the Septim Empire led a campaign to conquer every province of Tamriel . The Wars started in 2E 854 or 2E 855 and lasted for 42 years , with the end of the Tiber Wars marking the start of Third Era and Tamriel standing united under the Imperial banner . Background . The Tiber Wars were inspired when the Greybeards told Tiber Septim that he was destined to become the Emperor of Tamriel . After the death of Cuhlecain , Tiber Septim took his role , and started his conquest of Tamriel in the 855th year of the Second Era or in the 854th year of the Second Era . Tiber himself , however , found the initial administration of a fully united Cyrodiil a time - consuming task , and , because of this , the Underking dealt with the Imperial expansion into Skyrim and High Rock . Campaigns . Human kingdoms . Skyrim . Despite Skyrim ' s armies swearing loyalty to Tiber Septim after their defeat at Sancre Tor , Skyrim itself had not joined the Empire during Cuhlecain ' s rule . Tiber Septim invaded Skyrim with his Legions , one of his commanders was known as Beatia of Ylliolos , and had been ambushed by the Nords after a meeting with the Emperor . The exact date as to when Skyrim fell to the Empire is unknown , but it is known that it was prior to 2E 854 . Compared to the conquest of Hammerfell , Skyrim ' s occupation was done with relatively little bloodshed . The Kings of Skyrim had outlasted Empires before , and expected this one to be no different . High Rock . High Rock had lived on pretty well after the fall of the Reman Empire , but due to it existing of multiple kingdoms , it was easily conqeured by Tiber ' s armies . The official date on which High Rock was conqeured by the Empire is also unknown , though it was before 2E 864 , by which point the Bretons were considered to be " solidified " by the Empire . Hammerfell . Hammerfell was the last of the human kingdoms to fall to the Empire . Hammerfell ' s High King Thassad II , the leader of the Crowns , signed a truce with the Forebear leader Baron Volag in 2E 854 . Done in response to the growing tensions between the province and the Empire , the treaty sought to strengthen Hammerfell ' s defenses and armies so that Septim would not invade the province . Over time , the relations between the Crowns and Forebears would deteriorate , and with the death of High King Thassad II in 2E 862 , Hammerfell had been plunged into a civil war . The civil war was fought between the major political factions of Hammerfell : the Crowns , led by Thassad ' s son A ' Tor , and the Forebears , led by Sentinel ruler Baron Volag . When the civil war was slowly being won by the Crowns , the desperate Forebears signed a pact with Septim , allowing his armies to march into Hammerfell , crush the Crowns , and claim Hammerfell as part of the Empire . The Imperials conqeured Hammerfell with ease , though began to treat the province as their own property , causing Volag to disappear from Sentinel . The fateful Battle of Hunding Bay at Stros M ' kai was the only event where the Crown forces matched the might of the Empire , resulting in New West Navy Commander Amiel Richton to send Nafalilargus to obliterate the Crown forces during the battle , killing Prince A ' Tor in the process . After the Imperial victory there , Richton became provisional governor of Stros M ' Kai . The Redguard deity HoonDing arrived in the form of Cyrus , a Redguard mercenary , and the Soul Sword , an artifact imbued with A ' Tor ' s life force . Under Cyrus ' and Restless League leader Basil ' s guidance , a successful rebellion was launched on Stros M ' kai , overthrowing Richton ' s government . Another rebellion followed in Sentinel , led by the forces of Baron Volag . As a result of the rebellions , Tiber Septim came to Stros M ' kai and negotiated the terms of the Treaty of Stros M ' kai with the rebel leader of Stros M ' kai , Iszara and the rebel leader of Sentinel , Baron Volag . Eastern Provinces . Black Marsh . When the invasion of Black Marsh occurred is not known , but it is known that there was fighting between the Legions and the Argonians in 2E 861 , it is also known that Black Marsh fell prior to Hammerfell , though some sources state Black Marsh was yet to be conqeured when Hammerfell fell . However , it could be that Hammerfell wasn ' t recorded as " fallen " yet due to the rebellions in the land . It was said that Tiber Septim himself thought twice before conqeuring Black Marsh , the border regions fell easily to his Empire , but he wisely decided to avoid strategically unimportant inner swamps , and thus met with little resistance . Even under Imperial rule , the inner swamps were still controlled by the Argonians while the Empire controlled the coasts and borders of the province . Eventually , Black Marsh joined the Empire , mainly through a treaty . Morrowind . Morrowind became an Imperial province after Hammerfell had fallen . Initially , the Temple and the Great Houses of Redoran , Dres and Indoril wanted to fight until the death , Telvanni remained neutral and House Hlaalu proposed accommodation . There were several battles between Morrowind and the Empire , one of which laid waste to Mournhold , now called Almalexia . The situation changed , when Vivec appeared and announced his negotiation of a treaty with the Emperor , which allowed the Dunmer to keep most of their traditions while joining the Empire . The Temple greeted the announcement with an awkward silence , Indoril and Dres still said they would resist to the death , while Redoran gladly took the opportunity to not have to fight the Legion unsupported . Redoran then switched sides , and backed House Hlaalu ' s proposal of accommodation . Telvanni , seeing which way the wind blew , joined Redoran and Hlaalu in their accommodation . Despite this , the Lord High Councillor of Morrowind , an Indoril , refused the treaty and refused to step down . Because of this , he was assassinated and replaced by a Hlaalu . Second Aldmeri Dominion . Valenwood and the Summerset Isles . The Thalmor increased its hold on Valenwood during the founding of the Third Empire . Savage Bosmer tribes fought with the Estates along the Strid River . However , when the Empire stood united these skirmishes stopped . After the attacks stopped both sides waited on either side of the Valenwood border for the decisive battle . On the occasions that the Dominion probed the Empire ' s defenses , the Legion sent them back in tatters . The Colovians even took to calling them the < nowiki > " Old Mary Dominion " < / nowiki > due to the womanly offensives of its Elven soldiers . The situation at sea , however , was another story , as the Dominion terrorized the southern waters from the Cape of the Blue Divide to the Topal Bay . Tiber Septim later used the Numidium to conqeur the Aldmeri Dominion . Elsweyr . Not much is known about how Elsweyr fared during the Tiber Wars , however , it is known , that Elsweyr had an agreement with the Aldmeri Dominion , like the Maormer and a few Reachmen . It is also known that the Third Legion sacked Senchal , a city in the far south of Elsweyr , after they ' d refused to surrender . Smuggling businesses ran from Elsweyr into the Empire , though they were later cracked down on after the Empire had strengthened their grip on the area . Imperial force used . The recorded Imperial forces during the Tiber Wars are as follows :