Skyrim Civil War The Skyrim Civil War , called the Stormcloak Rebellion by the Empire , and frequently shortened to simply the Civil War is an ongoing civil war in the province of Skyrim . It began several years prior to the death of High King Torygg , but worsened after he was slain by the Jarl of Windhelm , Ulfric Stormcloak . According to Igmund , the Jarl of Markarth , the war " truly started " after Ulfric and his militia ( the Stormcloaks ) were imprisoned . Prelude . During the Great War against the Aldmeri Dominion , Ulfric was taken captive by the Dominion , and interrogated , after which he was listed as an asset to Elenwen . During this interrogation , Ulfric was made to believe that he divulged information which led to the fall of the Imperial City before being allowed to escape . Thalmor sources imply that they kept some degree of contact with Ulfric following his escape . At the end of the war in 4E 175 , Emperor Titus Mede II signed the White - Gold Concordat . The terms of the treaty included banning Talos worship . After the Great War ended , the Thalmor established contact with Ulfric , believing that he could be a valuable asset . The Markarth Incident proved his worth to them , although the Thalmor later forcibly imprisoned him . Following the signing of the treaty , Ulfric led a force of militia to retake The Reach , which had declared independence under the Forsworn during the Great War . Ulfric held the city and refused to surrender it to the Imperial Legion until they agreed to allow Talos worship once again . Following the Imperial acceptance of Ulfric ' s demands , the Aldmeri Dominion forced Ulfric and his militia to be arrested , and established a presence in Skyrim to oversee enforcement of the ban on Talos worship , which had up until that point been largely ignored . After the Markarth Incident , Ulfric refused direct contact with the Thalmor . Belligerents . Stormcloaks . The Stormcloak uprising was initiated by Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak of Eastmarch after the Markarth Incident , and aims to remove the Imperial Legion from Skyrim and turn the province into an independent kingdom . The rebels ' stated goals include lifting the ban on Talos worship across Skyrim , expelling or executing all the Thalmor Justiciar s who have been granted the authority by the Empire to enforce the White - Gold Concordat within the province , crown Ulfric Stormcloak the High King of Skyrim , and to independently prepare Skyrim for a future war with the Aldmeri Dominion . Besides stemming from deep discontentment with the ban on Talos worship , a secondary motivation behind the Stormcloak uprising is the belief that the Mede Dynasty and the Empire of Cyrodiil have become a puppet state of the Thalmor in all but name , and no longer has the legitimacy to rule over Skyrim . The Stormcloaks claim to hold fast to old Nord customs and values and recruit from those who share their principles . They consider themselves the " true sons and daughters of Skyrim " since they are the only force in Skyrim who have not capitulated to the Aldmeri Dominion and are openly revolting against their influence . The Stormcloaks see the Empire ' s Thalmor influenced laws as a threat to their Nordic way of life . They believe once they have consolidated their control over Skyrim , they can set to reforming the autonomous kingdom into a strong and fearless nation capable of finishing the war with Aldmeri Dominion and not be hindered by the Empire ' s harmful policies . The Stormcloak rebellion represents a large enough portion of Skyrim ' s population to have triggered a civil war . Some Nords , notably Jarl Laila Law - Giver of Riften , do not entirely trust or support Ulfric but back the Stormcloaks as they share the common goal of independence from the Empire , while others feel the civil war bleeds Skyrim dry and will leave the Thalmor as the sole beneficiaries . The name " Stormcloaks " was created by the Empire in an attempt to belittle the uprising , by implying that its supporters are Ulfric ' s personal lackeys in his bid for power . However , the rebels have since defiantly taken the name and made it their own , to honor the common cause of Skyrim ' s independence they are fighting for . Others state the name was created by Ulfric himself to show his lust for power . Their base of operations is the Palace of the Kings in the city of Windhelm , with Galmar Stone - Fist serving as their field commander . Imperial Legion . The Imperial Legion is the military arm of the Empire , which , prior to its Great War with the Aldmeri Dominion , ruled over most of Tamriel . The Legion is attempting to quell the rebellion led by Ulfric Stormcloak , with the goal of restoring the peace and keeping Skyrim in the Empire . The Imperial Legion believes that as a province of the Empire , Skyrim must abide by its laws and customs . Though most do not approve of the White - Gold Concordat , the Imperials are forced to allow the Thalmor to uphold it in order to preserve the peace between the Empire and the Aldmeri Dominion . If any legionaries keep faith in Talos , as it is implied Legate Rikke or Hadvar do , they keep their religion to themselves and pray to Talos discreetly and out of earshot . Though the Empire has appeased the Aldmeri Dominion ' s demands , Vittoria Vici , the cousin of Emperor Titus Mede II , states that the Empire has little love for the Dominion . Even so , high ranking Imperials do acknowledge that Ulfric is not wrong that the Thalmor hold influence over the Empire . Some Imperial loyal Jarls and lords recognize the power of the Thalmor and seek to ingratiate themselves with them if it serves their interests . These people state that the times of war between the Empire and Aldmeri Dominion should be over and that peace and prosperity is good for everyone . At the same time , Maven Black - Briar respects the Thalmor due to them holding power . The majority of Skyrim ' s more affluent populace are supportive of the Empire , as they feel Ulfric ' s speeches amount to political posturing and that his underlying motive is to become Skyrim ' s new High King . Furthermore , some of the Imperial supporters cling to the prosperous trade they have had with Cyrodiil , while others simply believe they have a better chance of defending against the Aldmeri Dominion if they are united with the Empire . General Tullius is the military governor of Skyrim and the commander of the Legion in the province . He leads the Imperial war effort . Tullius has only been around for a few months , but has really turned things around for the Empire . A noteworthy event is him directing the ambush , and capturing Ulfric Stormcloak and his top lieutenants at Darkwater Crossing . In Skyrim , the Legion is headquartered at Castle Dour in the city of Solitude , with Legate Rikke serving as their field commander . Initial territories . Initially , both the Empire and the Stormcloak Rebellion control four Holds . The Empire controls Falkreath , Haafingar , Hjaalmarch , and the Reach , while the Stormcloaks control Eastmarch , the Pale , the Rift and Winterhold . Balgruuf the Greater , Jarl of the central Whiterun Hold , remains uneasily neutral , but he will eventually side with the Empire once the war is joined , regardless of which side the Dragonborn chooses . Thalmor influence . The Thalmor plays a role in the Skyrim civil war , certain sources indicate that they are the ( indirect ) cause of the Civil War in Skyrim . Prior to the Markarth Incident , everyone still had their shrines of Talos . However , when the Thalmor found out about the Empire breaking the terms of the White - Gold Concordat , they demanded the arrest of Ulfric Stormcloak and his millitia , at this point the Emperor was also forced to grant the Thalmor access to Skyrim and give them the rights to " drag people from their houses " if they worshiped Talos . Ultimately , this is where the Civil War truly started . They also played a role at the execution in Helgen , where they tried to save Ulfric Stormcloak from execution , in order to keep the war going . While the Thalmor themselves were unsuccesful in stopping the execution , Alduin ' s attack on the town allowed Ulfric to escape . The Imperial Legion has sent Legate Fasendil to Skyrim to keep an eye on the Thalmor , who suspects that they are behind the unrest in Skyrim . The Thalmor dossier on Ulfric Stormcloak states than an Imperial victory harms the Thalmor ' s overall position in Skyrim and that a Stormcloak victory should also be avoided . The Thalmor state that they benefit the most from a long war in which neither the Empire , nor the Stormcloaks " wins " . Major battles . Battle for Whiterun . Whiterun Hold had been neutral territory during the Skyrim Civil War , with skirmishes on both sides taking place in the Hold and Fort Greymoor switching hands between the Empire and Stormcloaks on a regular basis . Jarl Balgruuf refused the Legion ' s right to garrison troops in Whiterun city , on the other hand he also refused to acknowledge Ulfric ' s claim . After an unknown period of time , Ulfric started planning an attack on Whiterun . Shortly after Balgruuf got to know of this news , he declared his allegiance to the Empire . ( Note that depending on choices made during " Season Unending , " Fort Dunstad , Fort Greenwall , and Fort Kastav will have to be conquered in place of the previously mentioned three . )