Empire of Cyrodiil

The  Empire of Cyrodiil  refers to an Imperial state that existed during the early years of the Interregnum. Although identified as an empire, it differed from the Alessian Empire, Second Empire, and Third Empire in that its only permanent dependency was Cyrodiil itself, and it was at no time ruled by a Dragonbornemperor. [[File:IntImperialFlag.png|thumb|330x330px|Flag of the Empire of Cyrodiil Used: 2E 577 - 589

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History
With the collapse of the Second Empire in 2E 430, its provinces reasserted their independence, leaving the Imperial heartland of Cyrodiil to its own devices. The region remained a bastion of Imperial culture as the rest of Tamriel rejected its influence. Further, institutions that had been hallmarks of the Second Empire, including the Imperial Legion, the Elder Council, and the office of emperor, survived the chaos relatively intact. As such, the Empire of Cyrodiil, as it would come to be known, succeeded the Second Empire as a matter of course. In the absence of legitimate claimants to the Ruby Throne, the Empire of Cyrodiil was ruled over by a succession of pretenders who became emperors mainly via conquest.

The earliest known of these pretenders was Durcorach, a leader of the Reachmen, who reigned over the Empire from 2E 524 before being slain in battle outside Daggerfall in 2E 541. He and his successors, a dynasty called the Longhouse Emperors, held the throne until the death of Leovic at the hands of Varen Aquilarios of Chorrol. Of all of the pretenders who had thus far achieved control of the Empire, the Longhouse Emperors had been some of the more successful ones, having managed to stay in power for a span of nearly two decades. The Empire under their reign is commonly revered to as the Longhouse Empire.

Leovic's usurper, Varen Aquilarios, had been the Duke of Chorrol before leading the Colovian Estates in rebellion against Leovic when he legalized Daedraworship. After personally killing Leovic and claiming the title of emperor of Cyrodiil, Varen set out to cement his status a legitimate leader of the Empire by retrieving the lost Amulet of Kings. He was encouraged in this endeavor by the powerful necromancer Mannimarco, who promised that the Amulet could be used in a ritual to persuade Akatosh to make Varen a Dragonborn. Mannimarco betrayed Varen, however, and the ritual broke the covenant with Akatosh and set Nirn adrift in Oblivion in an event named the Soulburst. Varen was believed lost in the event and his wife, Clivia Tharn, ascended to the Ruby Throne as Empress Regent.

Clivia Tharn's reign ushered in a time of increasing instability within the Empire. Swayed by offers of power and immortality, Clivia fell under the thrall of Mannimarco, who convinced her that the Mages Guild was responsible for the Soulburst and to expel them from the Imperial City, allowing Mannimarco's Worm Cult to operate freely. Beyond the Empire's borders, the other nations of Tamriel began to unite into three different alliances in response to perceived Imperial aggression and corruption: the Ebonheart Pact, Daggerfall Covenant, and the Aldmeri Dominion. Each alliance sought to conquer the Empire of Cyrodiil and place one of their own on the Imperial Throne, triggering the Alliance War that wracked the whole of Tamriel in 2E 582.

With the heartlands ravaged by war, most of its inhabitants scattered. Some of them escaped to Colovia while others fled south to Blackwood. The richest of the Imperials, mostly Nibenese, bought estates in western Colovia, around the cities of Kvatch and Anvil, away from raging war. That proved to be a mistake, however, as Anvil was captured by pirates who claimed dominion over the entire Gold Coast and declared it an independent state, leading to strife with loyalist Kvatch.

The Empire did not sit idle as the armies of the alliances forged deep into its territory. It attempted to expand its reach on two fronts: High Rock and Hammerfell to the north, and Valenwood to the south. The invasion of High Rock and Hammerfell was spearheaded by the infamous Magus-General Septima Tharn. To the south, an Imperial Legion was mustered from Colovia to annex Valenwood's Arenthia Vale, which by decree of the Count of Skingrad and the Elder Council was renamed the South Weald. These ventures ultimately failed under the guidance of the Empire but partially succeeded under the various factions that followed the empire.

Legacy
The Empire's culture and history remains vivid in various cyrodiilic factions that formed during and after the existance of the empire.

Cyrodiilic Factions

 * Second Colovian Estates
 * independent Gold Coast
 * Kingdom of northern Cyrodiil
 * Aldmeri Dominion occupation zones
 * Nibenay territories of the Aldmeri Dominion
 * Aldmeri Heartlands of Tamriel