Board Thread:Skyrim/@comment-12599067-20130928060857/@comment-24589685-20140226073601

I'm pretty sure the Nords weren't allowing the Reachmen to maintain any of their own real settlements, or to control much, if any, of the land or resources. Undoubtedly there's all kinds of hatey "git off my lawn" going on with much of the Forsworn's motives, but looking at their situation, their history, their lore, and the actual social/geographic situation in the Reach as we see it in 4E 201, they clearly are NOT in a position to just peacably go about their business.

Sure, *maybe* before Igmund they weren't being actively attacked or oppressed in any way by the Nords (given the Nords, though, I consider this unlikely), but there's more to rights than just not being a victim of active aggression. There's also issues around rights of access. Who has the mines, the forests, the farms, the land, the grazing rights, etc? The "right" to go off and starve in the wilderness unimpeded isn't the same thing as being left alone.