Reigning from 368 to 433 of the Third Era, Uriel Septim was the last emperor to be crowned in the Septim line, as he would meet his death early in the events ofThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion. Knowing his death would come shortly, Uriel VII freed the prisoner he had seen in his dreams, giving them the Amulet of Kings in the hope that it would prevent the oncoming Daedric invasion.
Though his reign was long at 65 years, it was fraught with plenty of turmoil. Despite being imprisoned, impersonated, indirectly responsible for a Dragonbreak, and finally murdered, Uriel was one of the most successful emperors of his line. Although he would meet his end early inOblivion, Uriel’s legacy spans four mainlineElder Scrollsgames, and is one of the most recognizable figures from the franchise.
What Happened During Uriel Septim’s Reign?
From the series' very inception, Uriel Septim has been involved in the plot of many of the games. InThe Elder Scrolls: Arena, the very game in the series, Uriel is imprisoned by his Battlemage, Jagar Tharn, who impersonates him for ten years. During this period, known as the Imperial Simulacrum, the Empire falls into disarray, previously managed incredibly well by Uriel. It only ends when the Eternal Champion gathers all the fragments of the Staff of Chaos to defeat Tharn, freeing the real Uriel from his prison and exposing the impostor.
Later on, Uriel VII would send an Agent to Daggerfall to investigate the death of King Lysandus. What initially seemed like a simple murder mystery becomes a high-stakes gamble for control of High Rock by multiple players, ending in the Numidium, a walking brass god constructed by the Dwemer, causing a Dragonbreak. TheWarp in the West, as it would become known, saw every possible end to the conflict to happen at the same time, causing plenty of contradictions in the Imperial timeline.
Uriel also became interested in the Nerevarine prophecy, and during the events ofTES 3, he would send the Nerevarine to Morrowind. Uriel seems to have had a history with releasing prisoners, as Oblivion begins when he releases the player character, theHero of Kvatch, only moments before he is murdered by the Mythic Dawn.
With Uriel dead, and his sons dead too, the Septim line ends. Although Martin Septim would become emperor, he was never formally crowned, sacrificing himself to prevent Mehrunes Dagon from invading Tamriel. The period of relative stability that Uriel oversaw came to an end, and the Septim Empire never truly recovered, making way for the Great War with theThird Aldmeri Dominionin the Fourth Era.
Some Lesser Known Facts About Uriel Septim
When Uriel was young, he had an imaginary friend called Justin, who, despite the name, he always referred to as a girl. Justin would always have a place set for them at dinner in the Imperial Palace, and when Uriel grew older, his friends Symmachus and Barenziah would ask how Justin was. Uriel would play along, until one day, he informed them that Justin had met a Khajit boy and settled down with him in Lilandril, where they ran a small farm together.
He Was Only Distantly Related to Tiber Septim
Tiber Septim founded the Third Empire, leading to the beginning of the Third Age. While Uriel shares his last name with Tiber, he is only distantly related, as Tiber’s son Pelagius 1 died after ruling for only two years. In the succession crisis, Kintyra, the daughter of Tiber’s brother Agnorith, became empress, and Uriel descends from this branch of the family.
In the opening of Oblivion, Uriel is informed that his three legitimate sons were attacked and presumably killed bythe Mythic Dawn, but they were not the only ones. Martin Septim, an illegitimate son of Uriel, was not told he was the emperor’s son until the events of Oblivion, although he does not get to reconcile with this fact for long. The last known illegitimate son was Calaxes, who did know he was sired by Uriel, although he is dead by the time of TES 4 under suspicious circumstances, but these two may not be the only sons that Uriel tried to hide.
