Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-24044823-20131013015938/@comment-5436695-20131015221149

Well, in most cases independence means becoming a part of either some other empire or homebred opressor. Of course an homebred opressor is somewhat better than an invader, but Tamriel is not that opressing at all. Unlike Ulfric, who's also an alternatively gifted economist - Windhelm still hasn't become a ghost town only because it is the only port on the way to Solitude capable of harbor vessels with normal displacement.