Fourth Era

* The Fourth Era begins with no Emperor on the throne of Tamriel. High Chancellor Ocato, the Elder Council, and the Blades try to maintain order. The provinces start to take advantage of the Empire's weakened state.

4E 5 — The Red Year. Red Mountain erupts; Vvardenfell is devastated by natural disasters.* In Vivec's absence, the Ministry of Truth becomes unstable. Vuhon creates an Ingenium that uses at first dozens of dying souls, then a small number of living ones to stabilize the rock. The soul ofSul's wife Ilzheven was among them. In a fight to free her, the Ingenium is destroyed and the rock crashes into the city of Vivec with all the energy it originally had. The impact causes Red Mountain to erupt and destroys the entire island of Vvardenfell, as well as causing massive destruction to the rest of the province.

4E 5–10 — The Empire begins to collapse. Black Marsh secedes from the Empire after the explosion of Red Mountain; it is soon followed by Elsweyr.* The Argonians invade Morrowind and cripple House Telvanni. They are stopped by the forces of House Redoran.

4E 10 — Potentate Ocato is assassinated, likely by Thalmor agents, initiating the Stormcrown Interregnum.* For the next seven years, the Elder Council is fractured by petty infighting over the Ruby Throne, further weakening Imperial power in the provinces.

4E 11–15 — Orsinium is sacked by the combined forces of Hammerfell and High Rock.* Many Orc refugees flee East into Skyrim. Orsinium once again rebuilt and relocated; it is now between Hammerfell and Skyrim.

4E 16 — The High King of Skyrim formally gives Solstheim to the Dunmer.
4E 17 — Titus Mede, a Colovian warlord, captures the Imperial City and is crowned the new emperor of the Empire of Tamriel.
4E 18 — Prince Attrebus Mede is born.
4E 20 — Refugees' Rest is decreed a monument commemorating the struggle faced by the refugees fleeing Morrowind.* Once a meeting place for refugees fleeing to Skyrim from Morrowind, Refugees' Rest is decreed by the Jarls of Skyrim as monument to the struggle of those who fled their native home of Morrowind in the time following the Red Year.

4E 22 — The Thalmor seize total control of Summerset Isle and rename it Alinor.
4E 23 — Annaïg Hoïnart is born.
4E 29 — The Aldmeri Dominion is recreated after Alinor and Valenwood proclaim a union, and all contact is severed with the Empire.* The union comes about after a Thalmor-backed coup overthrows Valenwood's government. The Empire and its Bosmer allies in the Imperial-backed government are caught off-guard and defeated by better-prepared Bosmer and Thalmor troops following the coup.
* The Dominion severs all contact with the Empire and is silent for the next 70 years. Most Imperial scholars believe that there was some sort of internal strife in Alinor during this period.

4E 40 — Umbriel, a floating city, appears on the coast of Black Marsh, heading toward Morrowind.
4E 42 — The Night of Green Fire occurs in Sentinel.* Altmer dissidents who have fled to Sentinel from the Thalmor in Summerset Isle are attacked by Thalmor operatives. Their efforts to fight back against the Thalmor are in vain, and by the timeImperial Legion soldiers arrive, the entire refugee district of the city has been destroyed. The event comes to be known as 'The Night of Green Fire' due to the destructive magic attacks employed by both sides during the battle.

4E 50 — The Keepers of the Razor first appear in Imperial records.
4E 65 — Brara Morvayn, ruler of Solstheim, passes away and is replaced by her son Lleril.
4E 95 — An unsuccessful attempt is made on the life of Lleril Morvayn as part of a plot masterminded by House Hlaalu to take control of Solstheim from House Redoran.

4E 100 — The Void Nights end, with the Thalmor taking credit for the return of Nirn's moons.* The Khajiit credit the Thalmor as their saviors and Imperial influence in Elsweyr begins to wane dramatically.

4E 115 — The Elsweyr Confederacy becomes the two kingdoms of Anequina and Pelletine, which the Aldmeri Dominion accepts as client states.
4E 122 — Most of Winterhold collapses into the sea during an event known as the Great Collapse.* The citizens blame the College of Winterhold due to its remaining unscathed when everything around it falls into the Sea of Ghosts. The College denies this, theorizing that the collapse is tied to the destruction of Vivec and eruption of the Red Mountain.

4E 129 — Riften is razed during an uprising against its Jarl.* Hosgunn Crossed-Daggers controversially ascended to Riften's throne in 4E 98 and instituted harsh taxes for his personal benefit. The citizens rebel and burn Hosgunn's castle to the ground with him inside, but the fire spreads to the rest of the city. Riften is rebuilt over the next five years, but remains little more than a "glorified fortress" of "wooden structures and rough stonework" compared to the sprawling city of old.

4E 130 — Lleril Morvayn uses his personal wealth to repair the Bulwark, a barricade which protects Raven Rock from ash storms.
4E 150 — A small force of Argonians land on the island of Solstheim bent on destruction, but Lleril Morvayn repels them.
4E 168 — Emperor Titus Mede II ascends to the throne.* The Empire is now a shadow of its former glory. Valenwood and Elsweyr have been ceded to the Thalmor, Black Marsh has been lost to Imperial rule since the Oblivion Crisis, Morrowind has yet to fully recover from the eruption of Red Mountain, and Hammerfell is plagued by infighting between the Crown and Forebear factions. Only High Rock, Cyrodiil, and Skyrim remain prosperous and peaceful.

4E 171 — The Great War begins with armies from the Aldmeri Dominion invading the Imperial provinces of Hammerfell and Cyrodiil.* After Titus II rejects an ultimatum to make massive concessions to the Thalmor, Aldmeri armies invade. An army led by Thalmor general Lord Naarifin emerges from hidden camps in northern Elsweyr and assaults southern Cyrodiil, flanking Imperial defenses along the Valenwood border. Leyawiin falls to the invaders, and Bravil is surrounded and besieged. Simultaneously, an army under Lady Arannelya crosses western Cyrodiil, bypassing Anvil and Kvatch and entering Hammerfell. This army is joined by smaller forces landing on Hammerfell's coast. Imperial troops are forced into retreat across the Alik'r Desert.

4E 174 — The Imperial City is sacked by Aldmeri forces.* Titus II flees north from the city, smashing through the surrounding Aldmeri forces with his main army and linking up with reinforcements heading south from Skyrim under General Jonna. The Imperial City falls to the invaders. The Imperial Palace is burned, White-Gold Tower is looted, and the Aldmeri commit many atrocities against the defenseless populace.

4E 174 — The Reachmen rebel, taking over the Reach.* With the Empire busy fighting the Thalmor, Markarth is left undefended. The Reachmen take the opportunity to overthrow the Nords of the Reach, retaking The Reach easily. The changeover is relatively peaceful, with only a few of the harshest Nord landowners being put to death.

4E 175 — The Battle of the Red Ring results in the complete destruction of the main Aldmeri force in Cyrodiil, a victory for the Empire precipitating the end of the Great War.* The Imperial City is retaken and Titus II's decision to withdraw from it the previous year is vindicated. Despite this resounding victory, however, the Empire is exhausted and unable to continue the war. Realizing this, Titus II seeks to negotiate with the Aldmeri Dominion to end the war.

4E 175 — The Elder Scrolls mysteriously disappear from the Imperial Library.* The Elder Scrolls are scattered across Tamriel by forces unknown. Members of the Cult of the Ancestor Moth set out to search for them.

4E 175 — The Great War ends with the White-Gold Concordat.* The peace treaty between the Empire and the Aldmeri Dominion gives the Thalmor free rein to stamp out the worship of Talos throughout the Empire, and cedes a large section of southern Hammerfell. Critics note that these terms are almost identical to the ultimatum that Titus II rejected at the start of the war.

4E 175 — Hammerfell leaves the Empire after rejecting the White-Gold Concordat.* Titus II renounces Hammerfell as a province of the Empire to preserve the treaty after the Redguards oppose ceding their lands. The Redguards see this as a betrayal, and a lasting bitterness between Hammerfell and the Empire is sown to the delight of the Thalmor. Hammerfell continues to war with the Aldmeri Dominion for the next five years.

4E 176 — Ulfric Stormcloak retakes The Reach, instigating the Markarth Incident.* The Empire and the son of the deposed Jarl promise Ulfric Stormcloak free worship of Talos in exchange for retaking The Reach. Ulfric forms a Nord militia and crushes the Reachmen at Markarth with the aid of the thu'um. The survivors flee into the wilds, forming a group called the Forsworn. Ulfric is arrested when the Thalmor discover the open worship of Talos. Ulfric and his men are eventually released, but the incident kindles what will become the Stormcloak Rebellion.

4E 180 — The Second Treaty of Stros M'Kai is signed.* Having been fought to a standstill by the Redguards, the Aldmeri Dominion withdraws from Hammerfell.

4E 181 — The ebony mines of Raven Rock are completely exhausted, and the colony turns to hunting and fishing for sustenance.
4E 188 — Wayrest falls to corsairs.* Corsairs seize Wayrest and raid the Dark Brotherhood sanctuary there, destroying it.

4E 188 — Bravil erupts into violence.* A war of control being waged by Cyrodiil's two largest skooma traffickers leads to violent fighting within the city. The Lucky Old Lady statue is destroyed in the fighting. The Night Mother's crypt is raided and Alisanne Dupre, Listener of the Dark Brotherhood, is killed defending it. The Night Mother's remains would later come into the care of Cicero.

4E 201 — The Nords of Skyrim engage in a civil war.* The people of Skyrim become divided between the Stormcloaks, led by Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak of Windhelm, and the Imperial Legion, commanded by military governor General Tullius. The Stormcloaks believe their Nord way of life is at risk, while the Imperials believe Skyrim is a part of the Empire, and must follow its laws and customs.

4E 201 — Alduin the World-Eater destroys the town of Helgen, heralding the return of the dragons and the end of the world.* The Last Dragonborn is revealed after slaying the dragon Mirmulnir, who was threatening the city of Whiterun.
* The Last Dragonborn, with the help of the heroes of old, defeats Alduin in Sovngarde. Dragons remain in Skyrim, but, with no leader, are scattered and sparse. It is hinted that Alduin was not utterly destroyed and that his soul may exist to return at end times to devour the world. Paarthurnax may be alive and is roaming the world. His plans include teaching all remaining dragons "The Way of the Voice" to overcome their nature to dominate.

4E 201 — The Dark Brotherhood plotted to assassinate Emperor Titus Mede II.
4E 201 — The College of Winterhold and the city of Winterhold are saved from a Thalmor plot.* A Thalmor agent, Ancano, attempts to draw power from an ancient artifact called the Eye of Magnus discovered during an expedition to the ancient ruins of Saarthal. After killing the College's leaderand almost sacking the city of Winterhold, Ancano is killed by a member of the college, who uses the Staff of Magnus to contain the Eye's power. The Eye is secured by members of the Psijic Orderwho had foreseen Ancano's plot.

4E 201 — The Thieves Guild in Skyrim is restored to its former glory.
4E 201 — The Companions reassemble Wuuthrad, the weapon used by their ancient patron Ysgramor.* The death of Harbinger Kodlak Whitemane at the hands of a werewolf hunting group known as the Silver Hand triggers a retaliatory attack leading to the group's destruction.
* The surviving members of the Circle travel to Ysgramor's tomb and posthumously cure Whitemane's lycanthropy, freeing his soul from an eternity of service to Hircine.

4E 201 — An ancient vampire hunting group known as the Dawnguard is reformed to fight the growing threat of vampires in Skyrim.* Lord Harkon of the Volkihar vampire clan seeks the Elder Scrolls in order to discover the location of Auriel's Bow, which has the means to blot out the sun.
* Auriel's bow is found, and Lord Harkon is slain.

4E 201 — Miraak, the first Dragonborn, awakens on Solstheim.* After being intercepted by cultists, the Last Dragonborn travels to the island of Solstheim and is challenged by Miraak.
* The Last Dragonborn defeats Miraak after gaining forbidden knowledge from Apocrypha.

4E 201 — The ebony mines of Raven Rock reopen after an investigation reveals an old draugr crypt and large amounts of ebony.