User blog comment:Emperor Maximus/On the Civil War/@comment-50.159.28.95-20150406214248/@comment-1600847-20150406220137

To be fair, it was Jarl Igmund who asked Ulfric to retake Markarth, not the Empire. The Empire in fact sent their own force to retake the city, but by the time they arrived the deed was done. Ulfric in essence forced them to choose between accepting his terms or forcing the Imperials to besiege the city, in which deaths were still growing each day. The Empire's a dick for going back on their word, but a promise forced out with a metaphorical sword at the other's throat is hardly better. Both sides could've handled the situation better.