The Elder Scrolls Timeline Explained

If you’re wondering what order the Elder Scrolls games happen in, here it is: The Elder Scrolls Online comes first chronologically (Second Era 582), followed by Arena, Daggerfall, Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim (Fourth Era 201).

The timeline stretches across multiple Eras, with massive time gaps between games. Skyrim takes place roughly 200 years after Oblivion, while Oblivion happens just 6 years after Morrowind. Each game centers on major historical events like the Dragon War, the Oblivion Crisis, and the Great War that reshaped Tamriel’s civilizations.

The Elder Scrolls Games in Chronological Order:

1. The Elder Scrolls Online (2E 582)
2. The Elder Scrolls: Arena (3E 389)
3. The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall (3E 405)
4. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (3E 427)
5. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (3E 433)
6. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (4E 201)

Here’s what you’ll learn in this article:

• Types of Elder Scrolls media available
• Best starting point for new players
• Complete chronological timeline of events
• Major historical eras explained thoroughly
• Dragon Breaks and timeline anomalies
• Regional perspectives on historical events

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What’s on The Elder Scrolls Chronology?

The Elder Scrolls timeline covers several distinct types of media that bring Tamriel to life:

• Main Series Games: The core single-player RPG experiences—Arena, Daggerfall, Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim. Each offers hundreds of hours of gameplay set in different provinces and time periods.
• Online Multiplayer Game: The Elder Scrolls Online takes place roughly 800 years before Skyrim and delivers a massive shared world experience with continuous expansions.
• Spin-off Games: Smaller titles like Redguard, Battlespire, and mobile games such as Blades that explore specific stories and locations.
• Novels: Two official books, The Infernal City and Lord of Souls, set between Oblivion and Skyrim that expand the lore.
• Lore Collections: Official anthologies like The Skyrim Library volumes and Tales of Tamriel that compile in-game texts and historical documents.

I organized this timeline by the main events in each game, book, and expansion. For games with extensive time spans, the placement reflects the ending period.

Frame narratives—stories told in flashback—go in their past setting rather than the present-day framing device. Some placements are educated estimates, as Bethesda doesn’t always provide exact dates. If you spot any significant errors, please reach out.

Where Do I Start Playing The Elder Scrolls?

Most players should start with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. It’s the most accessible entry point, with modernized gameplay, intuitive mechanics, and a story about dragons returning to the world.

You don’t need knowledge of previous games to enjoy it. Each Elder Scrolls game tells a self-contained story.

If you want to play through the story chronologically, start with The Elder Scrolls Online.

Be warned, though—starting with ESO can be overwhelming. It’s a massive MMO with a decade of content that assumes you already know the world.

For those interested in classic RPGs, Morrowind offers the best balance of old-school depth and playability. Released in 2002, it demands you figure things out yourself with minimal hand-holding.

But its alien world of giant mushrooms and warring houses is unforgettable. Oblivion sits between Morrowind and Skyrim in both chronology and gameplay style—a solid middle-ground option.

Chronological Timeline of Media

The Elder Scrolls Timeline of In-Universe Events and Eras

The history of Tamriel stretches across thousands of years and six distinct eras. Understanding these periods helps you grasp how the games connect to each other and why certain factions, religions, and conflicts exist.

The Dawn Era: Primordial Creation and Divine Intervention

The Dawn Era exists outside normal time. Linear chronology doesn’t apply here—events happened, but not in any measurable sequence.

During this period, the divine beings known as et’Ada created the mortal world of Nirn. Lorkhan, a trickster deity, convinced other spirits to sacrifice their power to build the mortal plane.

This act divided the et’Ada into three groups: the Aedra (who stayed and became the Eight Divines), the Daedra (who refused and remained in Oblivion), and the Magna Ge (who fled back to Aetherius).

The other et’Ada punished Lorkhan for tricking them. Trinimac tore out his heart, and Auri-El (later known as Akatosh) shot it across the continent.

Where it landed, Red Mountain formed in Morrowind. This event established linear time and ended the Dawn Era around ME 2500.

The theological split between elves and humans starts here. Elves view Lorkhan as a deceiver who trapped divine spirits in mortality.

Humans celebrate him as a creator who enabled mortal achievement and potential divinity. This fundamental disagreement fuels racial tensions throughout all later eras.

The Merethic Era: Elven Dominance and Early Colonization

The Merethic Era—literally “Era of the Elves”—began in ME 2500 and lasted until ME 1. This prehistoric period saw elven civilizations dominate Tamriel while humans remained primitive or absent.

Aldmeri colonists from the lost continent of Aldmeris arrived on Tamriel’s shores during the Middle Merethic Era. These sophisticated elves brought literacy, advanced magic, and superior technology.

They pushed the aboriginal beastfolk—ancestors of Khajiit and Argonians—into marginal territories like swamps, jungles, and mountains.

The elves built monuments that would shape history for millennia. The Direnni captured the Adamantine Tower on Balfiera Island.

The Altmer constructed the Crystal Tower on Summerset Isle. The Ayleids built White-Gold Tower in Cyrodiil.

These weren’t just buildings—they were centers of magical and political power that influenced continental affairs for thousands of years.

The Late Merethic Era brought the first significant human presence. Ysgramor led Atmoran refugees to Skyrim and established the city of Saarthal.

When elves discovered the Eye of Magnus there—an artifact of unknown power—they attacked during the Night of Tears, massacring most inhabitants.

Ysgramor returned with the Five Hundred Companions, beginning the systematic conquest of Skyrim from elven control. This marked the first major human military victory and established the Nords as a power in northern Tamriel.

The First Era: The Rise of Men and Empires

The First Era ran from 1E 1 to 1E 2920—nearly three thousand years of dramatic political transformation. Human kingdoms rose to challenge elven dominance, empires formed and fell, and entire races vanished mysteriously.

King Eplear founded the Camoran Dynasty in Valenwood in 1E 1, marking the era’s beginning. But the most significant early event was the War of the First Council (1E 668-700) in Morrowind.

The Dwemer and Chimer peoples—both Dark Elf ancestors—fought over the Dwemer’s plan to use Lorkhan’s Heart as a power source for Numidium, a constructed god.

At the Battle of Red Mountain, the entire Dwemer race vanished simultaneously from every settlement across Tamriel. No trace remained except their empty cities and advanced technology.

This mystery endures—nobody knows what happened or where they went.

The Alessian Empire rose as the first great human power. In 1E 243, the slave-queen Alessia led a rebellion that overthrew her Ayleid masters in Cyrodiil.

To reward her, the god Akatosh created the Amulet of Kings. So long as one of Alessia’s dragonborn heirs wore the amulet, the Dragonfires would protect Nirn from Daedric invasion.

The Alessian Order, a zealously monotheistic religious movement, gained power within the empire by 1E 361. The Order promoted human supremacy and systematically persecuted non-humans, particularly remaining Ayleid populations.

At its height, the Empire controlled parts of Cyrodiil, southern Skyrim, and portions of High Rock, though it never achieved true continental unity.

The empire collapsed in 1E 2331 after the War of Righteousness—a devastating civil war that killed half the population of some regions. Cyrodiil fragmented into competing kingdoms.

This chaos continued until Reman Cyrodiil emerged in 1E 2703, uniting forces to defeat an Akaviri invasion at the Battle of Pale Pass.

The Akaviri recognized Reman as Dragonborn and joined him, establishing the Second Empire. This empire held power until assassins killed the last Reman emperor in 1E 2920, ending the First Era.

The Second Era: The Interregnum and Political Fragmentation

The Second Era (2E 1 to 2E 896) is known as the Interregnum—a period without legitimate imperial authority. After the Reman assassination, Potentate Versidue-Shaie, a Tsaesci advisor, assumed control.

This marked the first time non-humans governed significant imperial territories.

The Potentate system maintained some stability through administrative competence rather than divine mandate. However, without dragonborn emperors, the theological basis for imperial authority disappeared.

Regional powers increasingly asserted independence as central control weakened.

Major conflicts consumed this era. The Five Year War (2E 395-399) between Elsweyr and Valenwood devastated southeastern Tamriel.

The War of Bend’r-Mahk in 2E 396 saw Skyrim seize territory from High Rock and Hammerfell. Without a strong central authority, provinces fought each other openly.

The Elder Scrolls Online takes place during 2E 582, capturing the Interregnum’s chaos. Three alliances—the Aldmeri Dominion, Daggerfall Covenant, and Ebonheart Pact—war for control of the Ruby Throne while Molag Bal attempts to merge Nirn with his realm of Coldharbour.

The Soulburst had destroyed the barrier between Nirn and Oblivion, allowing unprecedented Daedric influence.

The era ended when Tiber Septim systematically conquered all of Tamriel. Using political cunning, military genius, and reportedly the Numidium itself, he achieved what no previous ruler had—complete continental unification.

In 2E 896, he was crowned Emperor, establishing the Third Empire and beginning a new era of stability.

The Third Era: The Septim Dynasty and Continental Unity

The Third Era (3E 0 to 3E 433) marks the peak of imperial achievement. Under the Septim Dynasty, Tamriel experienced unprecedented unity, prosperity, and cultural integration.

Tiber Septim’s empire functioned differently than previous attempts at continental governance. He allowed significant provincial autonomy while maintaining central coordination through standardized legal codes, currency, and communication networks.

The Imperial Legions provided security and cultural integration. Service exposed people from different provinces to imperial values and created relationships across ethnic boundaries.

Guild systems flourished during this period. The Mages Guild, Fighters Guild, and Thieves Guild established standardized practices and recognition across provincial borders.

These organizations created professional networks that made economic cooperation and cultural exchange possible throughout the empire.

Economic prosperity reflected political stability. Trade routes spanning the continent enabled unprecedented exchange of goods and ideas.

The standardized currency system and legal frameworks reduced transaction costs. This integration created wealth that supported the extensive military and administrative apparatus required for continental governance.

Cultural achievements flourished—literature, scholarship, and artistic expression all reached new heights. Universities and libraries in major cities preserved and synthesized knowledge from all provinces.

Scholarly works in history, philosophy, natural science, and magical theory advanced beyond anything seen before.

The era ended suddenly. In 3E 433, assassins killed Emperor Uriel Septim VII and all known heirs.

This broke the dragon-blood covenant and allowed Mehrunes Dagon to invade during the Oblivion Crisis. Martin Septim, the last member of the bloodline, sacrificed himself to defeat Dagon—saving Tamriel but ending the dynasty.

With the Amulet of Kings destroyed and no dragonborn heir, the Third Era concluded and a new age of uncertainty began.

The Fourth Era: Contemporary Crises and Imperial Decline

The Fourth Era (4E 1 onwards) chronicles the empire’s decline and the rise of new threats. Without a dragonborn emperor, imperial authority weakened significantly.

The Red Year (4E 5) devastated Morrowind when Red Mountain erupted. Vivec City was destroyed when Baar Dau crashed into it.

Argonians from Black Marsh invaded the weakened province, reversing centuries of Dunmer dominance and creating massive refugee populations.

In 4E 22, the Thalmor seized power in Summerset Isle, renamed it Alinor, and began rebuilding the Aldmeri Dominion. They overthrew Valenwood’s government in 4E 29, creating a powerful bloc that challenged imperial authority.

The Dominion ended 70 years of isolation in 4E 99, demanding the Empire accept an ultimatum.

The Great War (4E 171-175) tested the empire’s survival. Aldmeri forces invaded Hammerfell and Cyrodiil, eventually capturing the Imperial City itself.

Emperor Titus Mede II gathered forces for a counterattack, achieving victory at the Battle of the Red Ring in 4E 175. But the victory came at enormous cost—both sides were exhausted.

The White-Gold Concordat ended the war with terms that damaged the Empire’s authority. The treaty banned Talos worship, attacking the theological foundations of imperial power.

It ceded portions of Hammerfell to the Dominion, causing the Redguards to renounce imperial protection and fight on alone. Thalmor agents gained rights to operate throughout imperial territory, enforcing the religious ban.

In Skyrim during 4E 201, Ulfric Stormcloak killed High King Torygg and sparked the civil war depicted in Skyrim. The rebellion was fueled by anger over the Talos ban and a growing sense that the Empire was too weak to rule.

Meanwhile, Alduin returned, beginning the Dragon Crisis. The appearance of the Last Dragonborn provided hope—someone with the power to challenge dragons and potentially restore the empire.

But whether the empire can survive these combined pressures remains uncertain.

Major Temporal Anomalies and Dragon Breaks

Dragon Breaks are fundamental disruptions to linear time. During these periods, conventional chronology becomes unreliable and multiple contradictory timelines exist simultaneously.

The Middle Dawn

The longest Dragon Break ran for 1,008 years (1E 1200-2208). The Marukhati Selective, a radical sect within the Alessian Order, attempted to purge Akatosh of his elven aspects through magical manipulation.

Their efforts to separate the dragon god from his connection to Auriel created fundamental instability in time itself. Multiple contradictory versions of events occurred simultaneously.

Historical records from different regions describe completely different outcomes for the same periods—all equally valid from their observers’ perspectives.

During this millennium, conventional historical recording became impossible. We know certain events happened, but not when, how, or in what order.

Different sources contradict each other completely. This created permanent gaps in historical knowledge that scholars still struggle with.

The resolution required divine intervention. When the Dragon Break finally ended, the timeline stabilized, but the scars remained.

Legal disputes, territorial claims, and religious doctrines complicated by multiple simultaneous truths still affect political relationships today.

The War of the First Council

The Battle of Red Mountain in 1E 700 likely caused a Dragon Break, though on a smaller scale than the Middle Dawn. Accounts of these events contain significant contradictions regarding chronology, participant allegiances, and outcomes.

The use of Lorkhan’s Heart and the circumstances surrounding the Dwemer disappearance apparently generated localized temporal distortions. Multiple versions of events occurred simultaneously, creating lasting uncertainty about what actually happened.

Different sources attribute the Dwemer’s disappearance to different causes. Some blame Kagrenac’s tampering with the Heart using the tools Sunder, Keening, and Wraithguard.

Others suggest different mechanisms. All accounts possess equal claim to legitimacy—they’re all true, somehow.

The Warp in the West

The most recent Dragon Break occurred in 3E 417 when the Numidium activated in the Iliac Bay region. Multiple factions controlled the giant simultaneously, creating a cataclysmic war where all outcomes happened at once.

When the Dragon Break resolved, reality settled into a single timeline—but one that incorporated elements from multiple contradictory outcomes.

Hundreds of duchies and petty counties merged into four unified kingdoms. Different groups achieved their goals simultaneously. Political boundaries shifted dramatically overnight.

This event proved that Dragon Breaks remain possible even in the modern era. The potential for temporal anomalies to disrupt established narratives creates ongoing uncertainty in political planning and historical scholarship.

Regional Variations in History

Different cultures interpret the same historical events through vastly different lenses. These variations reflect fundamental differences in worldview that continue influencing contemporary conflicts.

Nordic Historical Traditions

Nordic traditions emphasize heroic achievement and military valor. Ysgramor and the Five Hundred Companions occupy a central place in their historical consciousness—the conquest of Skyrim from elven control establishes both territorial legitimacy and cultural superiority.

Nords view history through the lens of individual heroism. Great warriors and kings shape events through personal courage and strength.

This perspective supports their skepticism toward centralized authority and preference for regional autonomy.

The Nordic calendar system, which provides the framework for dating Merethic Era events, reflects this perspective. It organizes time around specifically Nordic achievements, treating earlier periods as preludes to proper human dominance.

Elven and Aldmeri Perspectives

Elven traditions present fundamentally different interpretations. They view the Dawn Era creation as a tragic fall from divine perfection.

Lorkhan appears as a trickster who trapped divine spirits in mortality—the opposite of human celebrations of creation.

These theological differences underpin political conflicts extending through all historical eras. Elven traditions support claims to natural superiority and legitimate authority over younger races.

Human dominance appears as historical aberration rather than natural progression.

The Thalmor’s contemporary ideology draws heavily on these ancient perspectives. Their belief in elven supremacy and their efforts to undo creation itself connect directly to interpretations of the Dawn Era that differ completely from human understanding.

Dunmer and Morrowind History

Dunmer historical traditions center on their own theological developments. The transformation of the Chimer into Dunmer, the Tribunal’s assumption of divine authority, and the complex relationship between ancestral worship and political legitimacy create a distinct historical framework.

The War of the First Council occupies a central position, though accounts remain contested.

The Fourth Era disasters—the Red Year and Argonian invasion—have created new pressures on Dunmer historical narrative. These catastrophes forced them to integrate devastating defeat into cultural frameworks previously emphasizing triumph.

Dunmer history demonstrates how traumatic events reshape historical interpretation. The fall of the Tribunal and loss of traditional homeland have forced reconsideration of long-held assumptions about Dunmer destiny and divine favor.

Imperial Historical Synthesis

Imperial scholarship attempts to synthesize diverse regional perspectives into coherent continental narratives. This supports imperial legitimacy while acknowledging local traditions.

The development of standardized chronological systems and comprehensive historical records reflected both administrative needs and ideological commitments to unity.

However, imperial historians consistently struggle with maintaining objectivity while supporting political institutions.

The tension between academic accuracy and institutional loyalty affects the reliability of official accounts. Imperial histories tend to emphasize unification and progress while downplaying regional perspectives that challenge imperial legitimacy.

Notable Timeline Conflicts

Historical records contain numerous contradictions and disputes. Some result from Dragon Breaks, others from incomplete information or biased sources.

King Harald’s Reign

King Harald’s rule presents one clear example. Records say he was born in 1E 113 and began ruling in 1E 143, reigning for 78 years until 1E 221.

However, other sources claim “the entirety of modern Skyrim was under the reign of King Harald” in 1E 113—his birth year. This makes determining his actual rule problematic.

The Death of Kintyra II

The death of Kintyra II shows conflicting dates. Some sources place it in 1E 114, others in 1E 123. The difference matters for succession timelines and the War of the Red Diamond’s chronology.

Reman Cyrodiil II’s Reign

Reman Cyrodiil II’s reign dates vary between sources. The Annals of the Dragonguard claim he became Emperor around 1E 2806, but his tomb in Sancre Tor says 1E 2812.

His death appears as 1E 2843 in some texts, 1E 2851 in others.

The Camoran Usurper

The Camoran Usurper’s dates shift between accounts. Some claim he conquered Valenwood by 1E 249, others say 1E 251. These inconsistencies complicate understanding his campaign’s scope and duration.

Why These Conflicts Matter

Dragon Breaks explain some contradictions—during these periods, multiple timelines existed simultaneously, making all contradictory accounts equally valid.

Others result from poor record-keeping, political bias, or simple errors copied through generations of texts.

These conflicts matter because they show that Tamriel’s history isn’t a single authoritative story. Instead, we have multiple competing accounts, each reflecting the biases and limitations of their sources.

This uncertainty mirrors real historical scholarship—the past remains partially unknowable, subject to interpretation and debate.