Winterhold ( City ) Winterhold or Winterhold City is one of the nine major cities in Skyrim and is the capital of the Winterhold region . Throughout history , Winterhold was the capital of Skyrim and was the center of progress in the entire province . Winterhold lost its status after the Great Collapse , when a large majority of the city had plunged into the Sea of Ghosts . Description . Geography . The scope of Greater Winterhold is left largely unknown . There are no accurate representations of Winterhold before the Great Collapse , the only time it has appeared before the event was in . The ruins of Winterhold during the Fourth Era is smaller than the other cities in Skyrim , being smaller than the poverty - driven Morthal . The road that runs through the town leads to the College of Winterhold , located on a mountain sticking out of the Sea of Ghosts . The College and the town are connected by a bridge that is ransacked from the Great Collapse . The city of Winterhold is the most isolated city in the Holds of Skyrim , it is located in the snowy mountains of the north , around Mount Anthor . Most of the city has plunged into the Sea of Ghosts , leaving ruined homes in its wake . The Jarl ' s Longhouse was most likely not the seat of power in times before the Collapse , but being the largest building left , it became the Jarl ' s Longhouse . History . First Era . The Origins of Winterhold & Shalidor . The foundation of Winterhold has been told through myths , describing the exploits of the Great Wizard Shalidor . According to some rumors , Shalidor created the city of Winterhold with a simple whispering spell , what followed after was the creation of the Labyrinthian and the College of Winterhold . Shalidor was one on the opposite spectrum on magic accessibility , while Vanus Galerion believed that magic should be given to the common - folk , Shalidor wanted to enhance the standard on magic within magic users . This ideology led to the creation of the different schools of magic and the College of Winterhold , something that would become the staple of the city . Shalidor would later create the Isle of Eyevea , a haven for the Mages of Tamriel , it was eventually absorbed into the Shivering Isles and brought back into Tamriel . The Fall of Borgas ; the War of Succession . During the early years of the first era , Borgas was the High King of Skyrim , residing in the city of Winterhold , the capital of Skyrim . Borgas was a staunch supporter of the Alessian Order , the religion that is worshipped throughout the Alessian Empire . Seeing that the Wood Elves of Valenwood were not followers of the Order , he had orchestrated an invasion of Valenwood . This joint war resulted in the initiation of the Wild Hunt , a ritual performed by the Bosmer where they turn into feral forms of themselves , to the point where they act like feral animals . The Wild Hunt killed Borgas . As a result , records say his body was never found until the fourth era in the ruins of Korvanjund . Borgas was the last of the Ysgramor Dynasty , a family dating back to the Merethic Era and Atmora itself . A Moot was created to determine a new High King to rule the province . The Moot , however , proved to be a failure when it failed to recognize Jarl Hanse of Winterhold to be the next High King , this sparked the War of Succession , where many fought for the throne . This war ended in 1E 420 when Olaf One - Eye became High King and the signing of the Pact of Chieftains , which states that the Moot is only used when a King dies without any heirs . The Moot has filled this role admirably and has been used several times through the eras . The Winterhold Rebellion & Emperor Kastav Cyrodiil . In 1E 2804 , the city of Winterhold had manifested a rebellion within its walls known as the Winterhold Rebellion . It was in response to Emperor Kastav Cyrodiil ' s order to kidnap several people from Markarth and Hroldan , to ensure that the local Jarl s would fulfill the conscription quota he had enforced . The master of the Dragonguard did not allow them to help quell the rebellion for unknown reasons . The Emperor had also cut off their supplies much to the dismay of the Dragonguard . Regardless , the Grandmaster supported the master ' s actions even though it had violated the Oath of Allegiance . After some time , Kastav had stepped down as the Emperor and was replaced by Reman Cyrodiil II , who sought to fix all of Kastav ' s mistakes , this included the Winterhold Rebellion . Reman II orchestrated a treaty between the two factions and Winterhold remained a part of the Reman Empire . The Dragonguard & the Fool who sacked Winterhold . In 1E 2805 , the Dragonguard had denied an Akaviri man named Kalien and their sanctuary , Sky Haven Temple was besieged in Kalien ' s rage . He was denied entrance into the Dragonguard for a reason and so after he destroyed the temple , he traveled to the city of Winterhold and sacked it with his powerful magic , this event would be known as the Sack of Winterhold . After the siege on the temple was lifted , Reman II was named Emperor and the Dragonguard was honored to guard the Emperor during his travels in Skyrim , boosting their prestige . With this new found respect , the Sky Haven Temple was able to construct Alduin ' s Wall and the Blood Seal of Sky Haven . Second Era . Winterhold during the Reman Interregnum . During the reign of the Akaviri Potentate , the province of Skyrim was ruled by High King Logrolf , who was a close ally of Versidue Shaie and was unfortunately assassinated around the same time in 2E 431 . Eyes were looking towards Freydis , Logrolf ' s daughter , assuming she would become the next High Queen leading Skyrim into the future . Controversy would soon arise from the Kingdom of Solitude , when Jarl Svartr would claim that Freydis was illegitimate for the throne and that a moot was required to determine the new leader . The Moot had spoken , and the leaders of Skyrim voted for Svartr to become the High King . However , the Crown of Verity , the one that has chosen the High King for generations since Olaf One - Eye had chosen Freydis to become the High Queen . The province became divided , the Nords of the Old Holds followed Freydis while the Nords of West Skyrim followed Svartr . Skyrim had split into two separate kingdoms which would later affect the province for the next few years . The city of Winterhold , as well as the Winterhold region , would join the Eastern Skyrim Kingdom . Years later , the Kingdom of Eastern Skyrim would come under the control of Jorunn the Skald - King , a descendant of Freydis and the son of Mabjaarn Flame - Hair , the Jarl of Windhelm during the Second Akaviri Invasion . The current ruler of Winterhold is currently unknown . The Nords of Winterhold are a part of the Ebonheart Pact , an alliance with the Dunmer of Morrowind ( with the exception of the Telvanni folk ) , and the Argonian s of the border regions in Black Marsh . Third Era . The Septim - Gersen Alliance ; The Rise of Morihatha Septim . In 3E 313 , the Septim Empire had ruled over the continent since the beginning of the third era . At this time , the Empire was governed by Uriel Septim VI , who was not given actual control until he was twenty - two years old . He would boast about how he rules over Tamriel ; he would defunct spy networks and manipulate the Elder Council . One of his allies was Morihatha Septim , who had substantial power after marrying Ulfe Gersen , the Baron of Winterhold . The Septim Empire would rule over the Barony of Winterhold , giving them significant wealth and power . When Uriel VI fell off his horse and died , Morihatha had taken the throne at the age of twenty - five . She has been described as the most beautiful women in Tamriel and was considered a shrewd politician and well - trained . She had brought the Archmagister of Skyrim into Cyrodiil , bringing the second Imperial Battlemage ever since Zurin Arctus back in Tiber Septim ' s age . The Staff of Chaos & the Labyrinthian . During the Imperial Simulacrum from 3E 389 to 3E 399 , Emperor Uriel Septim VII was imprisoned along with Talin Warhaft in the Deadlands by Jagar Tharn . Tharn planned for months to capture the throne , and he was able to achieve so in ten years . Tharn had a powerful weapon called the Staff of Chaos , and he split it into nine pieces and scattered them across Tamriel , the staff was the only thing keeping Uriel Septim and Warhaft in Oblivion . A warrior escaped his clutches and traveled all corners of Tamriel to retrieve the missing pieces . The hero was known as the Eternal Champion , and he assembled the staff and defeated Jagar Tharn at the Imperial Palace . The Eternal Champion had at one point visited the city of Winterhold in their quest to recover the pieces . The city of Winterhold was under the rule of King Erarne . The Eternal Champion reached the city of Winterhold on their quest to find the second piece of the Staff . Through the visions of Ria Silmane and rumors from the people , the Champion had traveled to the distant north , to the city of Winterhold in the province of Skyrim . There the traveler ventured to the Winterhold Mages Guild where they met Thelen Kaarn , a mage from the within the Mages Guild ranks . Kaarn gives the Eternal Champion a proposition if they retrieved an ancient tablet from the Fortress of Ice , the long forgotten home of Shalidor , he would reveal the location of the piece . After defeating the monsters in the stronghold , Kaarn showed the way to the Labyrinthian , an ancient maze located southwest of the city . It was there that the Eternal Champion had obtained the second piece of the staff . The Champion had moved on to find the third piece of the staff somewhere in Tamriel . The Winterhold Renaissance ; The Westward Migration . During the waning years of the third era , the city of Winterhold had undergone a renaissance due to the sudden influx of Dunmer i refugees from Morrowind , many going to the College of Winterhold . The Dark Elves had brought fresh new ideas and enriched their culture , stimulating its old mercantile spirit . Scholars from all over Tamriel traveled to the College to look into the Ysmir Collective , which has books salvaged from the east and the cornerstone of academic life . The Elves of Morrowind have come from as far as the Telvanni District in eastern Morrowind . As time went on , the Nords had grown distrust , resulting in the lives of magic enthusiasts to become stressful . Many Dark Elves would later move back to the Morrowind after the events of the Red Year in the next era . Fourth Era . The Red Year and backlash against the Dunmer refugees . In the aftermath of the Oblivion Crisis , there was a huge distrust against mages , ironic since mages were the forefront against the Daedric Invaders of the Deadlands . The College of Winterhold expected this backlash and was hoping to have it pass by , this was not the case , however . The Red Year of 4E 5 had impacted Morrowind significantly when the Baar Dau had crashed onto the city of Vivec . This event caused Red Mountain to erupt and plague the province with endless seas of Ash . The Dunmer have fled westward across the mountains to places all across the Old Holds , with Winterhold becoming a popular attraction . As time went on , the Dunmer - folk began to leave and return to Morrowind . The island of Solstheim was given to the Dark Elves by the High King of Skyrim , and it was there they re - established the town of Raven Rock , under Councilor Lleril Morvayn . There were small pockets of Dunmer living in Winterhold that endured the growing hatred from the local Nords . Things would take a turn for the worst . The Great Collapse ; Winterhold ' s Demise . In 4E 122 , the city of Winterhold was under the control of Jarl Valdimar , who had a close friendship with Arch - Mage Deneth , the then leader of the College of Winterhold . For about a year , the Sea of Ghosts have experienced a series of ravaging waves that had damaged the city significantly . On one fateful and unexpected day , the city had given way resulting in a devastating event known as the Great Collapse . The College was not affected by the Collapse , due to powerful magic safeguarding the college . Many citizens of Winterhold have believed that the Mages of the College have prepared for the event as if they were involved with the crisis . This rumor caused the distrust of Mages to increase substantially , and it had spread across Skyrim like the plague . The relationship between the Court of Winterhold and the College had slowly diminished , affecting the pursuit of magical studies in Skyrim for several years . Winterhold during the Skyrim Civil War . During the Skyrim Civil War in 4E 201 , the city of Winterhold was under the rule of Jarl Korir , who was raised to hate the College of Winterhold , being the first generation to experience Winterhold after its destruction . Korir and his court had a distrust with the mages , resulting in even more hostility between the College and the City - State . Around the same time , the province of Skyrim had undergone a Civil War between the Mede Empire in Skyrim and the Stormcloak Rebellion . Jarl Korir was a supporter of the Stormcloaks , which operated from the city of Windhelm under the administration of Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak . Winterhold in its current state was unable to offer any substantial help to the rebellion but served nonetheless . The Stormcloaks had a holding in the region known as Fort Kastav , named after Emperor Kastav Cyrodiil and located in between the Pale and the Northern Winterhold coast . The Stormcloaks of Winterhold were under the control of Kai Wet - Pommel , who operated out of the Jarl ' s Longhouse in Eastern Winterhold City . The Eye of Magnus & the College of Winterhold . In the same year , the College of Winterhold had uncovered an ancient artifact dating back to the Merethic Era known as the Eye of Magnus . A giant orb with magical properties that were initially sought out by the Snow Elves during the Night of Tears when the Atmorans settled and founded Saarthal . The expedition was led by Alteration Master , Tolfdir , who took several mages on a field trip to Saarthal . The Eye remained confined within the walls of the College , leading to several magic guilds from all over Tamriel to come and witness the artifact . This ranged from the Synod to the College of Whispers , to even the Psijic Order , who hails from the Isle of Artaeum of the Summerset Isles . Ancano of the Thalmor had kept a close eye on the Eye of Magnus , believing that it could prove useful to the Thalmor , who had substantial control over Tamriel . Ancano , however , had tempered the Eye to such an extent that it caused magicka essence to sprawl all across Winterhold . The explosion killed Arch - Mage Savos Aren and Mirabelle Ervine , the Master Wizard of the College . The College was able to subdue the Magical Anomaly that swarmed the city , but Ancano needed to be stopped . Ancano of the Thalmor ; the Staff of Magnus . A certain student was given the task to find the location of the Staff of Magnus , after delving into the ruins of Mzulft , in the Icewind Peaks of Eastmarch , the student was able to find the Staff , which was located deep within the ruins of the Labyrinthian . The student traveled into the Labyrinthian and defeated Morokei , the long dead Dragon Priest of Bromjunaar . With the staff in hand , the student returned to the College of Winterhold and disabled Ancano ' s magical barrier . The two fought in a battle of magic which resulted in Ancano ' s demise . The Psijic Order , believing the Eye should not be in the hands of the ambitious , brought the Eye back to their monastery in Artaeum . The student was proclaimed the Arch - Mage of Winterhold and served the school diligently by mastering all five schools of magic .