Great War The Great War ( 4E 171 – 4E 175 ) was the name given to the armed conflict between the Third Aldmeri Dominion and the Tamrielic Empire during the Fourth Era . The Thalmor call it , quite forebodingly , " The First War with the Empire . " History . The Great War . In 4E 168 , Titus Mede II ascended to the throne and inherited a weakened empire . The glory days of the Septims were a distant memory . Valenwood and Elsweyr were gone , ceded to the Thalmor . Black Marsh had been lost to Imperial rule since the aftermath of the Oblivion Crisis . Morrowind had never recovered fully from the eruption of Red Mountain . Hammerfell was plagued by infighting between Crowns and Forebears . Only High Rock , Cyrodiil , and Skyrim remained prosperous and peaceful . Emperor Titus Mede II had only a few short years to consolidate his rule before his leadership was put to the ultimate test . On the 30th of Frostfall , 4E 171 , the Aldmeri Dominion sent an ambassador to the Imperial City with a gift in a covered cart and an ultimatum for the new Emperor . The long list of demands included staggering tributes , disbandment of the Blades , outlawing the worship of Talos , and ceding large sections of Hammerfell to the Dominion . Despite the warnings of his generals of the Empire ' s military weakness , Emperor Titus Mede II rejected the ultimatum . The Thalmor ambassador upended the cart , spilling over a hundred heads on the floor - - every Blades agent in Summerset and Valenwood had been executed . So began the Great War , which would consume the Empire and the Aldmeri Dominion for the next five years . Within days , Aldmeri armies invaded Hammerfell and Cyrodiil simultaneously . A strong force commanded by the Thalmor general Lord Naarifin attacked Cyrodiil from the south , marching out of hidden camps in northern Elsweyr and flanking the Imperial defenses along the Valenwood border . Leyawiin soon fell to the invaders , while Bravil was cut off and besieged . At the same time , an Aldmeri army under Lady Arannelya crossed into western Cyrodiil from Valenwood , bypassing Anvil and Kvatch and crossing into Hammerfell . Smaller Aldmeri forces landed along the southern coastline of Hammerfell . The disunited Redguard forces offered only scattered resistance to the invaders , and much of the southern coastline was quickly overrun . The greatly outnumbered Imperial legions retreated across the Alik ' r Desert in the now - famous March of Thirst . However , the surprising initial success of Lord Naarifin ' s attack led the Thalmor to believe that the Empire was weaker than they had thought . The capture of the Imperial City itself and the complete overthrow of the Empire thus became their primary objective over the next two years . As is known , the Thalmor nearly achieved their objective . It was only because of the Emperor ' s determined leadership during the Empire ' s darkest hour that this disaster was averted . During 4E 172 , the Aldmeri advanced deeper into Cyrodiil . Bravil and Anvil both fell to the invaders . By the end of the year , Lord Naarifin had advanced to the very walls of the Imperial City . There were fierce naval clashes in Lake Rumare and along the Niben as the Imperial forces attempted to hold the eastern bank . In Hammerfell , the Thalmor were content to consolidate their gains as they took control of the whole southern coastline , which was in fact their stated objective in the ultimatum delivered to the Emperor . Of the southern cities , only Hegathe still held out . The survivors of the March of Thirst regrouped in northern Hammerfell , joined by reinforcements from High Rock . The year 4E 173 saw stiffening Imperial resistance in Cyrodiil , but the seemingly inexorable Aldmeri advance continued . Fresh legions from Skyrim bolstered the Emperor ' s main army in the Imperial City , but the Aldmeri forced the crossing of the Niben and began advancing in force up the eastern bank . By the end of the year , the Imperial City was surrounded on three sides - only the northern supply route to Bruma remained open . In Hammerfell , Imperial fortunes took a turn for the better . In early 4E 173 , a Forebear army from Sentinel broke the siege of Hegathe ( a Crown city ) , leading to the reconciliation of the two factions . Despite this , Lady Arannelya ' s main army succeeded in crossing the Alik ' r Desert . The Imperial Legions under General Decianus met them outside Skaven in a bloody and indecisive clash . Decianus withdrew and left Arannelya in possession of Skaven , but the Aldmeri were too weakened to continue their advance . In 4E 174 , the Thalmor leadership committed all available forces to the campaign in Cyrodiil , gambling on a decisive victory to end the war once and for all . During the spring , Aldmeri reinforcements gathered in southern Cyrodiil , and on 12th of Second Seed , they launched a massive assault on the Imperial City itself . One army drove north to completely surround the city , while Lord Naarifin ' s main force attacked the walls from the south , east , and west . The Emperor ' s decision to fight his way out of the city rather than make a last stand was a bold one . No general dared advise him to abandon the capital , but Titus II was proven right in the end . While the Eighth Legion fought a desperate ( and doomed ) rearguard action on the walls of the city , Titus II broke out of the city to the north with his main army , smashing through the surrounding Aldmeri forces and linking up with reinforcements marching south from Skyrim under General Jonna . However , the capital fell to the invaders and the infamous Sack of the Imperial City began . The Imperial Palace was burned , the White - Gold Tower itself looted , and all manner of atrocities carried out by the vengeful Elves on an innocent populace . In Hammerfell , General Decianus was preparing to drive the Aldmeri back from Skaven when he was ordered to march for Cyrodiil . Unwilling to abandon Hammerfell completely , he allowed a great number of " invalids " to be discharged from the Legions before they marched east . These veterans formed the core of the army that eventually drove Lady Arannelya ' s forces back across the Alik ' r late in 4E 174 , taking heavy losses on their retreat from harassing attacks by the Alik ' r warriors . During the winter of 4E 174 - 175 , the Thalmor seem to have believed that the war in Cyrodiil was all but over . They made several attempts to negotiate with Titus II . The Emperor encouraged them in their belief that he was preparing to surrender ; meanwhile , he gathered his forces to retake the Imperial City . In what is now known as the Battle of the Red Ring , a battle that will serve as a model for Imperial strategists for generations to come , Titus II divided his forces into three armies . One army , with the legions from Hammerfell under General Decianus , was hidden in the Colovian Highlands near Chorrol . The Aldmeri were unaware that he was no longer in Hammerfell , possibly because the Imperial veterans Decianus had left behind led Lady Arannelya to believe that she still faced an Imperial army . The second army , largely of Nord legions under General Jonna , took up position near Cheydinhal . The main army was commanded by the Forgotten Hero wearing the Emperor ' s armor , and would undertake the main assault of the Imperial City from the north . On the 30th of Rain ' s Hand , the bloody Battle of the Red Ring began as General Decianus swept down on the city from the west , while General Jonna ' s legionnaires drove south along the Red Ring Road . In a two - day assault , Jonna ' s army crossed the Niben and advanced west , attempting to link up with Decianus ' s legions and thus surround the Imperial City . Lord Naarifin was taken by surprise by Decianus ' s assault , but Jonna ' s troops faced bitter resistance as the Aldmeri counterattacked from Bravil and Skingrad . The heroic Nord legionnaires held firm , however , beating off the piecemeal Aldmeri attacks . By the fifth day of the battle , the Aldmeri army in the Imperial City was surrounded . Titus II led the assault from the north , personally capturing Lord Naarifin . It is rumored that the Emperor wielded the famed sword Goldbrand , although this has never been officially confirmed by the Imperial government . An attempt by the Aldmeri to break out of the city to the south was blocked by the unbreakable shieldwall of General Jonna ' s battered legions . In the end , the main Aldmeri army in Cyrodiil was completely destroyed . The Emperor ' s decision to withdraw from the Imperial City in 4E 174 was bloodily vindicated . Lord Naarifin was kept alive for thirty - three days , hanging from the White - Gold tower . It is not recorded where his body was buried , if it was buried at all . One source claims he was carried off by a winged Daedra on the thirty - fourth day . The White - Gold Concordat . In 4E 175 , the White - Gold Concordat was signed , officially ending the war . Two provisions in the treaty had serious impacts on what remained of the Empire . First , large portions of southern Hammerfell were ceded to the Aldmeri Dominion . The Redguards , outraged that the Empire paid for the treaty with their lands , began their own separate war with the Aldmeri . As a result , the Empire renounced Hammerfell as an Imperial province and abandoned the Redguards . With the resilience and strength that are characteristic of Redguard warriors , they fought the Aldmeri to a standstill and signed their own treaty . But , relations between Hammerfell and Cyrodiil have become bitter as a result . Secondly , the worship of Talos was outlawed , and the Nine Divines became the Eight Divines once more . Many Nord s saw this as an affront , notably Ulfric Stormcloak , and many continued to worship Talos in secret . The Nords ' anger over the White - Gold Concordat is one of the driving forces behind the current Civil War in Skyrim . It can be argued that if the treaty was not signed and the war continued , the Aldmeri Dominion might have destroyed the Empire . It can also be argued that the White - Gold Concordat was unnecessary as proven by the fierce Redguard resistance against the weakened Aldmeri Domion forces in the ensuing five - year war , leading to the Second Treaty of Stros M ' kai . Aftermath . While the war is over , the hostility that caused it still exists between the Thalmor and the Imperials . Some would argue that the Aldmeri Dominion ultimately benefited at the Empire ' s expense . At present , the Dominion and the Empire are locked in what could be seen as a state of " cold war " , with both sides wary of provoking the other . In fact , it could be argued that in Skyrim ' s case , it is only the perfunctory support of Imperial Officials , such as General Tullius , that the Thalmor can act with any degree impunity . Ominously , Thalmor found in Skyrim have revealed a different name to describe the Great War : " " The First War with the Empire . " " This suggests that not only do the Thalmor intend a second Great War , but they have already begun to plan its execution . Conversely , it is heavily implied , most notably in the remarks made by various members of the Legion , that the Empire is taking measures of its own . Guilds . The Blades . In the days before the Great War , the Blades began a shadow war against the Thalmor , believing that they were superior enough to handle the conflict . However , this arrogance led to the destruction of the Blades . In response to their aggression , the Thalmor systematically hunted down and exterminated the Blades in all parts of Tamriel . The remaining members of the Blades were in hiding in Skyrim at the outbreak of Skyrim ' s Civil War . It is suggested that the Thalmor would have destroyed the Blades eventually in any case , since they saw the Blades ' connection to Talos as a possible threat . Veterans . In " Skyrim " , there are a number of Great War veterans .