- Not to be confused with Second Empire.
The so-called Empire of Cyrodiil[1], or simply the Empire, was one of the many pretender states claiming to be the successor of the Second Empire (which also bore the name "Empire of Cyrodiil"[2][3]) during the Interregnum.
History
Longhouse Emperors
During the Interregnum, a Reachman chieftain by the name of Durcorach the Black Drake had been amassing a horde of Reachmen in preparation for an invasion of Cyrodiil. In 2E 533, Durcorach invaded Cyordiil, eventually capturing the Imperial City and with it, the Ruby Throne.[4] Durcorach proclaimed himself the new Emperor of Cyrodiil. Along with Cyrodiil, the Reach and Markarth became part of the empire.[4] In an attempt to legitimize his claim and bring himself closer to power, Durcorach married Veraxia Tharn of the prominent Tharn family of Nibenay. Through this, Durcorach created a short lived dynasty known as the Longhouse Emperors.
The Longhouse Emperors were generally disliked by the populace because of their barbaric and alien practices. Because of the Reachman's worship of the Daedra, many feared that a purge of the Eight Divines was imminent. However, Durcorach didn't interfere with any of the Divines.[5] In 2E 541, after roughly eight years of rule, Durcorach launched an invasion of High Rock. Despite initial successes, the invasion would end in utter failure, with the death of Durcorach at the hands of Emeric. Durcorach's son, Moricar, succeeded him after his death. Moricar ruled in a generally peaceful time, before passing on the empire to his son, Leovic.
Colovian Revolt
Leovic would serve as the last Longhouse Emperor. Leovic's early rule would be generally peaceful, visiting Anvil during the summers and commissioning The Emperor's Guide to Tamriel in 2E 573. However, in 2E 576 Leovic enraged the populace after legalizing Daedra worship. Varen Aquilarios, who previously had shown loyalty to him, led a large scale revolt known as the Colovian Revolt or Varen's Rebellion. Varen scoured a number of victories, leading to more people joining his cause and losing faith in Leovic. In 2E 577, Varen invaded the Imperial City and killed Leovic in the Imperial Throne Room[6][7], ending the Longhouse Emperors. Varen then declared himself Emperor and married Leovic's widow, Clivia Tharn.
Age of Varen, Soulburst, and Aftermath
Varen's rule as emperor went generally without problems. However, Varen was constantly concerned that he was an illegitimate ruler because he was not Dragonborn. To this end, in 2E 577 he created the Five Companions to find the long lost Amulet of Kings after the Altmer sorcerer Mannimarco convinced the emperor that he knew of a ritual to allow Varen to become Dragonborn. After a two year quest, the Five Companions found the Amulet of Kings, and in 2E 579 started the ritual in the Temple of the One. Mannimarco, however, revealed his true intentions. The ritual did not light the dragonfires, but in fact did the exact opposite, shattering the barriers shielding Mundus from Oblivion. This became known as the Soulburst, and after the Soulburst the Emperor disappeared.
After Emperor Varen's disappearance, his wife Clivia Tharn assumed the throne as Empress Regent, ruling until 2E 582.[6] It was assumed that Clivia was killed in the Planemeld by the Dark Anchors. Molag Kena impersonated Clivia in order to obtain an Elder Scroll, but is unknown whether the real Clivia survived the attack or not.