Tamriel:
Tamriel , also known as "Dawn's Beauty" in Aldmeris, "Starry Heart" in Ehlnofex, "Taazokaan" in the Dragon Language and "Arena," is one of the several continents on Nirn. It is located on the planet of Nirn, which is the mortal realm of the finite and the partial, as opposed to the immortal realms of the infinite and the absolute. In The Elder Scrolls, Mundus, another name for Nirn, is the Elvish root for the human word "mundane", meaning ordinary. In terms of size, Tamriel is 12 million square kilometers and is divided into 9 provinces.
History:
Recorded Tamrielic history is divided into four distinct eras: the First Era, the Second Era, the Third Era, and the Fourth Era.
First Era - The long First Era is mostly marked by the shifting of power from Elves to Men and the birth of some of the most powerful religions in the land. From the heartland of Tamriel, we learn of the struggling Human race: from their miserable fate as slaves to finally being able to push out their Elven masters from the land. From the northeast part of the continent, the Heart of Lorkhan tempts so many mortals, from the Dwemer to Chimer. The Divine Heart causes a terrible war, and the extinction of a once great race, the Dwemer.
Second Era - The Second Era starts after the Akaviri Potentate "Versidue Shaie" assassinates the last of the Cyrodiil line. This is also the era when some of the most powerful factions in Tamriel are born, the Mages Guild and the Dark Brotherhood being two from among the greatest to arise during this time period. The era finally ends after Tiber Septim, wielding a Dwemer artifact called Numidium, successfully unites the entire Tamrielic landmass once again.
Third Era - The Third Era, which some describe as the most glorious era thus far, is the time of the Septim Dynasty. In fact, the long line of Septim Emperors almost reaches an end at several points in the history of this period. Some of the significant events are the War of the Red Diamond, a civil war over the succession, and a long decade of reign by the traitorous Jagar Tharn. Furthermore, this era is marked by the rebirth of Nerevar Indoril, the greatest Chimeri general; as well as the rebirth of Numidium and the second Dragon Break that follows. The Oblivion Crisis also arose when the Daedric Prince, Mehrunes Dagon, attempted to enter the mortal world in his "god-like" state. In the final days of the Third Era, the emperor, Uriel Septim VII is assassinated at the' beginning of the next chapter in the Elder Scrolls, Oblivion, along with all his heirs, save one illegitimate son, Martin Septim. In the final fight for Septim's life, the Blades were aided by an escaped prisoner. It was this escaped prisoner who rescued Martin from the siege of Kvatch, this prisoner who again and again stormed Oblivion, and this prisoner who recovered the Amulet of Kings. It was also this prisoner, called Champion of Cyrodiil, Hero of Kvatch, and Savior of Bruma, who witnessed Martin's ultimate self-sacrifice to end the Oblivion Crisis, and with it, the Third Era.
Fourth Era - At the beginning of this era was the fall of the Mage's Guild. The Aldmeri Dominion which recovered and resurrected its old power and even gained allegiance with the Khajiit began the Great War and nearly destroyed the Empire until the Empire was forced to sign the White-Gold Concordant or face extinction. Later on in The Fourth Era the High King of Skyrim, Torygg, is killed by Ulfric Stormcloak, sparking a Civil War in Skyrim between a Nordic nationalist faction known as the "Stormcloaks" and the Tamrielic Empire. As of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Titus Mede II is emperor. Alduin, Nordic God of Destruction and Firstborn of Akatosh also returns bringing with him the reappearance of the dragons to Skyrim. Yet one called the Dragonborn or Dovahkiin rises up to counter the threat and save Skyrim.
There are two other Eras previous to the aforementioned four. They are the 'Dawn Era' in which the universe and everything in it came into being, and the 'Merethic Era', otherwise known as the Mythic Era, in which Mer (Elves) first arrived in Tamriel and all manner of mythological occurrences are said to have taken place. These two Eras are commonly considered to be outside of verifiable history, as humanity did not possess a written language to speak of until the end of the Mythic Era. Aldmeri records, on the other hand, date back to the beginning of ME, however these are not open to Imperial scholars.
First Era - The long First Era is mostly marked by the shifting of power from Elves to Men and the birth of some of the most powerful religions in the land. From the heartland of Tamriel, we learn of the struggling Human race: from their miserable fate as slaves to finally being able to push out their Elven masters from the land. From the northeast part of the continent, the Heart of Lorkhan tempts so many mortals, from the Dwemer to Chimer. The Divine Heart causes a terrible war, and the extinction of a once great race, the Dwemer.
Second Era - The Second Era starts after the Akaviri Potentate "Versidue Shaie" assassinates the last of the Cyrodiil line. This is also the era when some of the most powerful factions in Tamriel are born, the Mages Guild and the Dark Brotherhood being two from among the greatest to arise during this time period. The era finally ends after Tiber Septim, wielding a Dwemer artifact called Numidium, successfully unites the entire Tamrielic landmass once again.
Third Era - The Third Era, which some describe as the most glorious era thus far, is the time of the Septim Dynasty. In fact, the long line of Septim Emperors almost reaches an end at several points in the history of this period. Some of the significant events are the War of the Red Diamond, a civil war over the succession, and a long decade of reign by the traitorous Jagar Tharn. Furthermore, this era is marked by the rebirth of Nerevar Indoril, the greatest Chimeri general; as well as the rebirth of Numidium and the second Dragon Break that follows. The Oblivion Crisis also arose when the Daedric Prince, Mehrunes Dagon, attempted to enter the mortal world in his "god-like" state. In the final days of the Third Era, the emperor, Uriel Septim VII is assassinated at the' beginning of the next chapter in the Elder Scrolls, Oblivion, along with all his heirs, save one illegitimate son, Martin Septim. In the final fight for Septim's life, the Blades were aided by an escaped prisoner. It was this escaped prisoner who rescued Martin from the siege of Kvatch, this prisoner who again and again stormed Oblivion, and this prisoner who recovered the Amulet of Kings. It was also this prisoner, called Champion of Cyrodiil, Hero of Kvatch, and Savior of Bruma, who witnessed Martin's ultimate self-sacrifice to end the Oblivion Crisis, and with it, the Third Era.
Fourth Era - At the beginning of this era was the fall of the Mage's Guild. The Aldmeri Dominion which recovered and resurrected its old power and even gained allegiance with the Khajiit began the Great War and nearly destroyed the Empire until the Empire was forced to sign the White-Gold Concordant or face extinction. Later on in The Fourth Era the High King of Skyrim, Torygg, is killed by Ulfric Stormcloak, sparking a Civil War in Skyrim between a Nordic nationalist faction known as the "Stormcloaks" and the Tamrielic Empire. As of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Titus Mede II is emperor. Alduin, Nordic God of Destruction and Firstborn of Akatosh also returns bringing with him the reappearance of the dragons to Skyrim. Yet one called the Dragonborn or Dovahkiin rises up to counter the threat and save Skyrim.
There are two other Eras previous to the aforementioned four. They are the 'Dawn Era' in which the universe and everything in it came into being, and the 'Merethic Era', otherwise known as the Mythic Era, in which Mer (Elves) first arrived in Tamriel and all manner of mythological occurrences are said to have taken place. These two Eras are commonly considered to be outside of verifiable history, as humanity did not possess a written language to speak of until the end of the Mythic Era. Aldmeri records, on the other hand, date back to the beginning of ME, however these are not open to Imperial scholars.