Lore:Forsworn Rebellion

To meet our site's higher standard of quality, this article or section may require cleanup. To leave a message about the cleanup for this article, please add it to this article's talk page.

The Forsworn Rebellion was a conflict in the Fourth Era concurrent with the late stages of the Great War in Cyrodiil, when Imperial Legions stationed in Skyrim's region of the Reach and its capital, Markarth, were recalled to help repel the Aldmeri Dominion's invasion. This left the Reach vulnerable to attack, and its native population, known as Reachmen, successfully revolted and created an independent kingdom.

Jarl Hrolfdir, the father of future Jarl Igmund, called upon a Nordic militia led by Ulfric Stormcloak to retake the Reach from its native inhabitants in return for free Talos worship. The uprising was ultimately quelled, but not without consequences. Despite the promise of free religion, the Thalmor discovered the Talos worship taking place in Markarth and demanded the arrest of Ulfric and the other members of the Nord militia. To honor the White-Gold Concordat and keep the peace with the Dominion, Hrolfdir was forced to comply. Hrolfdir helped arrest Ulfric and the other members of the militia to prevent another war with the Thalmor. In retaliation, Ulfric Stormcloak refused to observe the agreement and decided to allow the freedom to worship Talos himself when he became the new Jarl of Windhelm, sparking the future Stormcloak Rebellion.

Major Battles

• Battle of Markarth, 4E 174. Reachmen quickly breached Markarth's city gates and annexed the city. Years later, Jarl Hrolfdir, father of the future Jarl Igmund, was killed by the Forsworn.
• The Markarth Incident, 4E 176. Under the leadership of Ulfric Stormcloak, the Nordic militia retook Markarth while inflicting heavy casualties on the Reachmen rebels. When the independent kingdom of the Reach was overthrown, there were executions, including the deaths of some civilians of Markarth who were native members of the Reach. Surviving stragglers of the Reachmen continued to rebel, forming the Forsworn.