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The Kingdom of Alinor is one of the earliest known ruling kingdoms on Nirn. It can be traced backed to the Early Merethic Era when the Aldmer fled Aldmeris and made landfall on the Summerset Isles in southwestern Tamriel.[1] Firsthold was one of the earliest settlements in the kingdom, established by High Lord Torinaan, but soon other kinholds followed his example and prospered.[2] These sophisticated, literate and technologically advanced elves displaced the native beastfolk and built the Crystal Tower - firmly establishing their empire. From Alinor ruled an unknown High King, whose dynasty was said to extend unbroken until at least the mid-Second Era.[3].
The mysterious Scrolls of Praxis played an enormous role in Aldmeri monarchic rule. According to the traditions of Elven Ceremoniarchy, every decision a ruler made must be based on the precedents laid down in the scrolls. Such is their import that heirs to the throne were required to study Altmeri Regal Praxis and Ceremoniarchy under the Sapiarchs for a requisite 3,555 days prior to receiving the crown. The coronation itself supposedly involved an eighty-eight day liturgy recited by the monarch themselves. When a new monarch inherited the throne, they traveled to Tanzelwil, vast ruins on Auridon to commune with the dead and seek their approval to the throne.[4] Afterward, the College of Sapiarchs serve as a powerful resource to the Throne of Alinor, offering advice and counsel when called upon.[5][6]
Provincial rulers were known as High Kinlords and Kinladys, such as High Kinlady Estre of Skywatch or High Kinlord Rilis of Firsthold. Other offices of power include Canonreeve - similar to a mayor, it's an official title given to diplomats and bureaucrats who administer county seats.[7][8]
Firsthold later became the staging ground for several naval expeditions, by order of the Crystal Tower. Three ships were chosen to explore uncharted territories and find a way back to Aldmeris. Although only one ship returned, they successfully mapped numerous coastlines of mainland Tamriel, setting the stage for the eventual Aldmeri diaspora.[9] According to some legends, the Aldmer didn't stop at mere naval exploration. A mythical order known as the Sun Birds of Alinor attempted extra-planetary expeditions to Aetherius.[10]
From the ancient wellspring of Summerset, the Aldmer eventually split along cultural and religious lines resulting in the plethora of distinct Elven races we know of today. As various groups of Elves began to emigrate from Summerset, some (such as the Ayleids) continued to swear fealty to the High King of Alinor. Others, such as the Direnni clan, became independent from the kingdom and sought their own path.[11] Arguabally one of the most notable schisms in the kingdom was the first recorded large-scale religious sect espousing Daedra worship by the so-called prophet Veloth. When the Sapiarchs of Alinor prohibited this schism, Veloth led the clans loyal to him out of the Isles and across the seas to the far side of Tamriel. Another notable schism in the kingdom was when the Aldmer began to move away from worshipping their own ancestors, instead worshipping the ancestors of the elite. A group of dissident elders, known as the Psijic Order, rejected this change and left Summerset to settle on the nearby island of Artaeum to continue practicing the "Old Ways of Aldmeris".[12] By the Late Merethic Era numerous groups of elves had left the kingdom to settle other parts of Tamriel and tribute-lands, such as Cyrod under the Ayleids, detached themselves from the kingdom completely. The Aldmer that remained on Summerset became known as the Altmer and in the following eras became largely removed from the conflicts and rise and fall of empires on mainland Tamriel.[12]
One of the main threats the kingdom faced was the Kingdom of Pyandonea to the south. King Orgnum made countless attempts to invade the Summerset Isle backed by a strong revanchist policy.[13] For almost every year of the First and Second eras, Pyandonean forces harassed the coastlines of Summerset. The Kingdom of Alinor was forced to build a great navy to defend itself, which resulted in the Altmer excelling in naval combat.[14][12] The Royal Navy keeps the sea lanes as clear as possible and serves as a deterrent to external threats.[15]
One of the few instances the Kingdom of Alinor involved itself with external conflicts pre-Second Era was when Admiral Bendu Olo proclaimed his intent to punish Thras for the Thrassian Plague in 1E 2241. In response, the shipyards in Alinor worked in concert with other nations to build a fleet and attack Thras. Additionally, the great warlock Syrabane lent aid given his prowess in arcane naval warfare.[16]
The Aldmeri DominionEdit
The Kingdom of Alinor allied with its neighbors to form the First and Second Aldmeri Dominion during the Second Era. While the justifications for each incarnation differed, the objective was the same objective: to reassert Elven dominance over Tamriel. The First Dominion saw the Summerset Isles allied with the Bosmer of Camoran Dynasty and the Khajiit of Elsweyr Confederacy in the Elden Accord.[4] To that end, the kingdom fought in the Three Banners War against the Daggerfall Covenant and Ebonheart Pact for control of mainland Tamriel.[17]
The Second Dominion was formed in 2E 830 when the Kingdom of Alinor conquered Valenwood over a dynastic dispute. When the heirs of the Camoran Dynasty sought to capture Valenwood's throne, a faction of Bosmer attempted to make peace with their enemies in the Colovian Estates by offering part of the Valenwood territory in exchange for the faction's own claimant. The Kingdom of Alinor, upon hearing of this, invaded Valenwood, citing a stewardship clause in a thousand-year-old treaty between their nations.[18] The Altmer established the Thalmor as the new government in Valenwood. Over the next several years, the Thalmor strengthened their hold on Valenwood and Bosmer tribes continued to skirmish with the Colovian Estates.[19] Meanwhile, Tiber Septim rose to power in Cyrodiil and began his conquest of Tamriel with the Tiber War. The nascent Third Empire expanded and encroached on Dominion territory, forcing the Bosmer attacks to subside. Despite their military setbacks on land, Alinor's Royal Navy was considerably more powerful and steadfastly held the southern waters from the Cape of the Blue Divide to the Topal Bay. The catastrophic use of the Numidium ended the long confrontation in 2E 896, resulting in the surrender of the Kingdom of Alinor and its absorption into the Empire.
A Third Dominion was established centuries later in 4E 22, in the aftermath of the Oblivion Crisis. By painting themselves as the saviors of the Summerset Isles, the Thalmor solidified their position and seized total control of the Summerset Isles. They abolished the monarchy across the Summerset Isles, ending one of the oldest kingdoms on Nirn. Seven years later, a Thalmor-backed coup overthrew Valenwood's government. Alinor and Valenwood proclaimed a union independent of the Empire, and the Aldmeri Dominion was reborn. Elsweyr split into the kingdoms of Anequina and Pelletine in 4E 115 and subsequently became client states of the Dominion.[20]
Known RulersEdit
Merethic Era
- Unnamed High King of Alinor — The early Ayleids in Cyrod swore fealty to this king [11]
First Era
- Unnamed High King of Alinor — Associated in some way to the Middle Dawn [21]
Second Era
- King Tamlien — An ancestor of Queen Ayrenn interred in Tanzelwil [4]
- King Hidellith (~2E 486 – 2E 580) — Queen Ayrenn's father [22] [5]
- Queen Ayrenn (2E 580 – 2E ?) — Leader of the First Aldmeri Dominion [5]
- Unnamed King of Alinor (~2E 830) — Under the Second Aldmeri Dominion, the king commanded Camoran Anaxemes of Valenwood to submit to fifty years of fealty.[18]
Third Era
Fourth Era
ReferencesEdit
- ^ Auridon Explored, Chapter XII — Fenlil the Wayfarer
- ^ The Lay of Firsthold
- ^ Alinor Royal Palace loading screen in ESO: Summerset
- ^ a b c Queen Ayrenn's dialogue in ESO
- ^ a b c Ayrenn: The Unforeseen Queen — Headmaster Tanion of the College of Aldmeri Propriety
- ^ Sages of the Crystal Tower — Nularan, Mages Guild Scribe
- ^ Canonreeve Elquisa's dialogue in ESO
- ^ Moon-Singer Feziya-ko's dialogue in ESO: Dragonhold
- ^ Father of the Niben — Florin Jaliil
- ^ Prismatic Sunbird Feather antiquity codex entry in ESO
- ^ a b Before the Ages of Man — Aicantar of Shimerene
- ^ a b c Pocket Guide to the Empire, 3rd Edition: The Blessed Isle: Alinor and the Summersets — Imperial Geographical Society, 3E 432
- ^ The False Revanchism of the Maormer — Hadendril of Skywatch
- ^ Pocket Guide to the Empire, 3rd Edition: Other Lands — Imperial Geographical Society, 3E 432
- ^ The Myth of the Sea Sloads — Raavarion, Sapiarch of Aquatic Malevolence
- ^ Systres History: Volume 3 — Trilam Heladren, Associate Dean of Eltheric History, University of Gwylim
- ^ Welcome to New Aldmeri Irregulars — Aicantar of Shimmerene, Sapiarch of Indoctrination
- ^ a b Pocket Guide to the Empire, 1st Edition: Aldmeri Dominion — Imperial Geographical Society, 2E 864
- ^ Pocket Guide to the Empire, 1st Edition: The Elsweyr Confederacy — Imperial Geographical Society, 2E 864
- ^ a b Rising Threat, Vol. IV — Lathenil of Sunhold
- ^ Where Were You ... Dragon Broke — Various
- ^ The Maormer of Pyandonea — Imperial Geographical Society
- ^ Meet the Character - Proxy Queen Alwinarwe — Ayrenn
- ^ Alinor location and rumors in Arena