For anyone diving into the monolithic lore of Tamriel, understanding the accomplished timeline of Elder Scrolls can feel like trying to assemble a thousand-piece fretsaw puzzler in a storm. It is a deep chronicle that stretches from the morning of time to the very edge of the creation, covering everything from the conception of the divinity to the rise and autumn of empires that don't rather live in the same way in every game. Whether you're a hardcore historian of the Elder Scrolls existence or just seek to project out where Skyrim fits in with Oblivion, the official timeline acquire bedevil tight. The game are set in different epoch, and sometimes the magic scheme and political bounds reposition wildly calculate on which decade you appear at, so separate it down chronologically assist clear up the pickle.
The Dawn Era and the Heart of Lorkhan
The narration begins way before any mankind walked the look of the globe, back in the Dawn Era when time hadn't yet genuinely started yet. The Aedra, our ancestor, and the Daedra, the disorderly outer god, built the planet of Mundus together. The Mortal Plane was suppose to be a step stone to bigger and better thing for the gods, but Lorkhan, the missing god, convinced them that they could become gods themselves. They gave him the divine Heart of Lorkhan and built the world around it, not recognise that sacrifice the Heart would turn the gods into soul with finite life. When the thaumaturgy depart to fade and their flesh begin to rot, the gods demolish Lorkhan and scattered his body across the domain. Now, looking at the consummate timeline of Elder Scrolls, this is the beginning myth that sets the point for everything else, explain why sorcerous exists but is trammel, and why living is cyclical.
The Dawn Era and the Heart of Lorkhan
The narration start way before any homo walk the look of the ground, backwards in the Dawn Era when clip hadn't even truly commence yet. The Aedra, our ascendant, and the Daedra, the helter-skelter outer immortal, construct the planet of Mundus together. The Mortal Plane was supposed to be a stepping stone to larger and best things for the gods, but Lorkhan, the lose god, convinced them that they could get gods themselves. They afford him the divine Heart of Lorkhan and built the macrocosm around it, not substantiate that sacrificing the Heart would turn the gods into mortals with finite living. When the trick start to melt and their frame began to rot, the divinity demolish Lorkhan and scattered his body across the cosmos. Now, appear at the consummate timeline of Elder Scrolls, this is the origin myth that put the stage for everything else, excuse why charming exists but is limit, and why life is cyclical.
The First Era: A Time of Sundering
Once Lorkhan was beat, the survivors of the god-making project - known as the Ehlnofey - fought over who have the new world. Most of them were slain or absorbed, but a group of refugee care to miss the carnage. These subsister cheat the continents, some seeking their antediluvian kin, others trying to rebuild. It is difficult to nail accurate dates in this era because the calendar scheme were all over the spot, but it is wide think that the 1st major kingdom lift here. Elves (the Aldmer) dominate the high part, while the humans (the Atmorans) started stray into the northern islands. This period is mussy and undocumented, which make it one of the most frustrating component of the chronology for fans test to patch together the accomplished timeline of Elder Scrolls with any precision.
The Alliance Wars and the Reman Dynasty
The political map of Tamriel started to solidify in the 2nd era, leading to monolithic battle that would define the continent for centuries. The Empire of Tamriel wasn't always one big glad house; it was devise through firing. The master catalyst was the resurgence of the Daedra Prince Molag Bal, who overrun the responsibility of Morrowind. In a desperate bid for survival, the land of Skyrim, High Rock, and Morrowind form an alliance that temporarily halted the invasion. This finally evolved into the Elder Scrolls Online period, a turbulent era known as the Alliance War. Eventually, a soldier name Reman Cyrodiil united these disparate folk under a individual banner, establishing the Reman Dynasty. This was the era of powder, monolithic wars, and the groundwork for the Septim Empire that would postdate. It's a crucial, albeit violent, chapter in the complete timeline of Elder Scrolls.
The Third Era: The Septim Dynasty
The third era is perhaps the most familiar to players because it is the setting for The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. This is the era of Tiber Septim, the man who conquered all the other kingdoms and sew the map back together. He didn't just win with an army; he used Numidium, a elephantine god-machine built habituate Dwemer engineering, to steamroll the provinces. Once he was emperor, the Septim stock ruled for 100, bring a sense of order to Tamriel. However, the Imperial Cult and the divinely appointed Dragonborn Emperors held the world together. Political machination here was incredibly complex - factions vie for the crimson pot, vampires running amuck in the timber, and Daedric princes pulling strings from their own planes of cosmos. The finish of this era is pivotal: the death of the last Septim emperor at the hands of the villain of Oblivion shattered the Empire and leave the throne vacant.
The Fourth Era: The Great Collapse
Without the Septim bloodline, the roadblock between Tamriel and the daedric realm of Oblivion broke. This marks the start of the fourth era, featured conspicuously in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Thing got unearthly tight. Daedric princes started walk about Tamriel looking for a new champion, and the Empire was so subvert by civil war that it couldn't stop them. It was a time of rebuilding. The Coldharbour invasion was ultimately drive, but not before Tamriel endure a monumental loss of living and inheritance. This era is defined by the "Great War" between the Empire and the Dominion, follow by the storm that leads into the 5th game. It's a messy, transitional period where the heroes of the third era are generally proceed, supersede by new faces like the Dragonborn.
The Fifth Era: The New Dawn and The Elder Scrolls VI
We are currently living in the fifth era, and it is presently the setting for The Elder Scrolls VI, which has been announced but is set far in the future. The Empire has dissolve into a patchwork of smaller states, and the world is adjusting to a living without a globose power. The Dragonborn who salve Skyrim in the events of Skyrim left the province, and a new emperor has been top, though the formula is flimsy at better. Magic is evolving, government are dislodge toward the Summerset Isles, and new threat are lift. The complete timeline of Elder Scrolls is moving toward a climax where the dragon are proceed, but the menace of otherworldly annihilation tower large than ever.
The Eras at a Glance
It can be difficult to envision just how much clip pass between a peasant feeding shekels in Skyrim and a mage casting a fireball in Morrowind. To facilitate you sail the deep history, hither is a quick reference table for the key epoch in the complete timeline of Elder Scrolls.
| Era Gens | Approximative Time Period | Key Events | Have Game |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dawn Era | Nameless / Pre-Time | Creation of Mundus by Aedra and Daedra; Death of Lorkhan. | Introductory Lore Only |
| First Era | 1E 0 - 1E 2920 | Fall of Pixy, Rise of Men, Formation of First Empire of Cyrodiil. | The Elder Scrolls Arena |
| Second Era | 2E 582 - 2E 577 | Alliance War, Rise of Reman Cyrodiil, Dragon Break. | The Elder Scrolls Online |
| Third Era | 3E 0 - 3E 433 | Tiber Septim Conquest, Numidium, Oblivion Crisis. | Arena, Daggerfall, Morrowind, Oblivion |
| Fourth Era | 4E 0 - Present Day | Emperor's Death, Oblivion Gates open, Civil War in Skyrim. | Skyrim |
🛑 Note: While the events of the game are much treated as verity in-universe, The Elder Scrolls serial is known for "Easter egg" and unconfirmed fable, so some dates can be cunning calculate on which source you consult.