High King The High King or High Queen is the leader of Skyrim . Governing the province , those holding this office become a member of the Elder Council of the Empire of Tamriel . Originally , the High King was based in Windhelm , as it was the first capital city established by Ysgramor in the late Merethic Era . The Capital had also shifted to Winterhold sometime in the First Era , but as of the Fourth Era , the High King reigns from Solitude . Ascension . The High King or Queen typically inherits the throne by birth and rules for life or until abdication . In the event that no direct heir to the throne exists , High Kings are selected by a moot , or vote , conducted by the current Jarl s of each of the nine Holds . Votes occur most commonly when the previous High King dies , but an emergency vote can be called to order if the High King is bested in a duel . A High King cannot refuse a duel requested by a Jarl . Without the challenger being allowed to call a new Moot to meet . The High King swears fealty to the Emperor , and as such Solitude is the city most directly influenced by Imperial culture and politics ; thus the Jarl of Solitude has served as High King for generations . According to some source the Moot is , therefore , more formality and theater than anything else . Other sources state that the Moot always meets to select a new High King . History . Second Era . As a result of the Reman Empire ' s fall in 2E 431 , High King Logrolf was assassinated . When King Svartr claimed his daughter Freydis was illegitimate , a partial moot in Windhelm convened Freydis was queen , while a partial moot in Solitude convened Svartr was king . As a result , the province was split into the West and East kingdoms , ruled separately by each Jarl of the capitals . In 2E 582 , Jarl Svargrim ruled the West Kingdom while Jorunn the Skald - King ruled the East Kingdom . Fourth Era . In the Fourth Era , upon the death of High King Torygg , the Jarls could not agree on the next High King . Torygg ' s widow , Elisif the Fair , the Jarl of Solitude , had a legitimate claim to the throne . However , according to Ulfric Stormcloak , the Jarl of Windhelm , ancient Nord tradition dictates that when the High King is bested in battle , the winner can call a Moot to have a new High King chosen . Ulfric believed this gave him a stronger claim to the throne . This resulted in Civil War because the Empire considered the duel unfair and an act of murder , due to Ulfric ' s use of the Thu ' um . It is strongly implied that Ulfric initiated the challenge , plotting to intimidate the other Jarls into naming him High King , though Ulfric and his supporters maintained it was a lawful challenge to prove Torygg ' s weakness as a leader and Skyrim ' s wretched condition . However , if the city of Solitude is taken by the Stormcloaks and the war resolved in their favor , Ulfric rescinds his earlier statement , saying he supports the decision of the Moot , whether he is crowned King or not . Previous rulers . Listed below are the previous High Kings and Queens of Skyrim followed by their respective reigns : City - State Monarchs . Not all kings and queens within the province of Skyrim attain the mantle of High King . While many people outside of Skyrim consider Jarl s of the Fourth Era to be pseudo - kings and queens , they are often not royalty . It should be noted that it is possible that Imperial scholars with no real understanding of Nordic society incorrectly labelled these individuals as monarchs when they were in fact Jarls . The following are individuals who have been recorded as monarchs of individual city states throughout the history of Skyrim : The Jagged Crown . The Jagged Crown is the crown of the High King of Skyrim and was used to symbolizes the power over Skyrim . It is made from the teeth and bones of dragons . It is believed to date back to the time of King Harald and is said to contain a portion of the power of every king or queen who wore it since . The last monarch to wear the crown was King Borgas , but it was believed lost when he was killed in the Wild Hunt of 1E 369 . Legend holds that his body was secretly returned to Skyrim and buried with the crown , but the exact whereabouts were lost in the following War of Succession . During the Civil War questline , the Dragonborn can help recover the crown for either the Imperial Legion or the Stormcloaks , providing a great symbolic victory to the side in question . The Crown of Verity . The Crown of Verity was an alternative to the Jagged Crown created when the Jagged Crown was lost in the Wild Hunt of 1E 369 . It infamously rejected Asurn Ice - Breaker as High King in the fifth century of the First Era , cementing its authority deep into Skyrim ' s politics .