Old Holds The Old Holds , Eastern Skyrim , or the Eastern Kingdom is the eastern half of the province of Skyrim and is the parallel to West Skyrim on the other side of the province . While the Nord s of West Skyrim embrace the cultures of the Empire , the Nords of the Old Holds stick to the old ways that date back to the Atmoran s of the distant north . Description . Geography . The Old Holds consist of the eastern holds of Skyrim which include Eastmarch , The Pale , The Rift , and the Winterhold . Each of these regions has unique distinctions that separate them from each other , as well as the other holds in the west . The original capital of the East was the city of Windhelm , located on the Yorgrim River , leading into the Sea of Ghosts . The capital of both the Old Holds and Skyrim was changed to the city of Winterhold , located in the northern reaches of the province . The Old Holds take up the less amount of area when compared to West Skyrim , although the Whiterun Hold has been considered a part of the region . There are several large landmarks across the Holds such as Hsaarik Head , Lake Honrich , the Palace of the Kings , and the Yorgrim River . Since the Merethic Era , the Old Holds of Skyrim have been traditionally bound together , fighting alongside one another throughout the years . History . Second Era . During the Interregnum , the province of Skyrim was ruled by High King Logrolf and was a close ally of the Second Empire of Reman Cyrodiil III . When Reman was assassinated by the Morag Tong in his chambers , many leaders of the Empire were killed as well ; this included Logrolf . Logrolf ' s daughter , Freydis was to assume the throne after Logrolf and the Crown of Verity chose her to lead her people in the coming years . A Moot was made in the city of Solitude , and the Jarls of Skyrim chose Jarl Svartr of Solitude to become the Next High King . Svartr had also claimed that Freydis was an illegitimate daughter to Logrolf and that she did not deserve the throne . This conflict resulted in the province of Skyrim to split into two separate kingdoms , one with Freydis being High Queen , and one with Svartr being High King . Freydis ' Skyrim would become known as the Kingdom of Eastern Skyrim . In 2E 572 , the Snow Demons of Kamal led by Ada ' Soom Dir - Kamal invaded the continent of Tamriel in an event known as the Second Akaviri Invasion . Ada ' Soom ' s army besieged Eastern Tamriel from as far as the Telvanni Peninsula to the tundra of Eastmarch . The city of Windhelm was ruled by Mabjaarn Flame - Hair and would eventually be inherited to her eldest daughter , Nurnhilde . Things took a turn for the worst when the city was besieged by the Snow Demons , with both Flame - Hair and Nurnhilde died in its wake . Prince Jorunn traveled to the temple of High Hrothgar to ask for the Greybeards help in the matter . The Greybeards conjured Wulfharth the Ash - King to assist the Prince in his battle against the Snow Demons . Both Jorunn and Wulfharth assembled an army at the gates of Riften , Ada ' Soom ' s army was intimidated by the large numbers of angry Nord s , so they avoided the city and traveled into Stonefalls , Morrowind . His army was cornered at Vivec ' s Antlers . To the west was Jorunn and Wulfharth with their vast army , to the east was the Dark Elves led by Tanval Indoril and Almalexia of the Tribunal , and to the south was the Argonian s led by Vicecanon Heita - Meen . The Snow Demons were defeated at the Battle of Stonefalls , and amidst the conflict , the Ebonheart Pact was formed , an alliance of the Nords of Eastern Skyrim , the Dunmer of Morrowind , and the Argonians of Black Marsh . Fourth Era . The Kingdom of Eastern Skyrim dissolved sometime before the Third Era , when Tiber Septim first became the new Emperor of Tamriel . Despite the Kingdom dissolving , remnants of this ideology still existed in Skyrim . The denizens of Eastern Skyrim were firm believers of the Old Ways and felt that Skyrim was meant to stick with their old traditions . Skyrim would not be split this way again at the beginning of 4E 201 . The Jarl of Windhelm , Ulfric Stormcloak defeats High King Torygg in a duel that ultimately killed him in the process . Ulfric utilized the Thu ' um to subsequently kill Torygg , which branded Ulfric , a murderer throughout the cities in Skyrim . The cities of Windhelm , Riften , Dawnstar , and Winterhold banded together to fight against Western Skyrim and the Imperial Legion led by General Tullius . The city of Whiterun was in a gray area of the war , but it still saw support in the Empire . Western Skyrim and Eastern Skyrim would fight against each other in an event called the Skyrim Civil War .