Solitude

 

For the surrounding region, see Haafingar Hold.

Solitude Haafingar
Hold capital city
Solitude on a winter's night
Flag Coat of arms
Established	First Era
Founded by	Erling
Seat	Blue Palace

Solitude (Cyrodilic: Solitudo), also known by its Nordic name Haafingar, is a major city in northwestern Skyrim, astride the mouth of the Karth River as it empties into the Sea of Ghosts. Much of the city stands atop a massive natural structure known as the Great Arch.

History

Early settlement

The first settlements in the area were encampments on the Karth River, built by the ancient Nords in Merethic times. The settlement later expanded onto the Great Arch, and a city began to take shape. In the early years of the First Era, Castle Dour was built. High King Erling ordered the construction of Solitude's outer walls around the keep, as well as a towering bridge that now separates the Well District from the east side.

Rise of a kingdom

The earliest known texts that describe Solitude as a well-established kingdom date to the 4th century 1E, when the province held ties with the First Empire, concurrent to the formation of the Bards College. The Kingdom of Solitude put up some of the greatest opposition to Olaf One-Eye, who rose to supremacy in the wake of the War of Succession. Olaf's wrath over the city was swift, and animosity between the king and the city created one of Solitude's longest extant traditions, the Burning of King Olaf.

Through the late First Era, the garrisons of Solitude were frequently employed by the Reman emperors to quell Reachman rebellions against Imperial rule.

Near the end of the First Era, the Kingdom of Solitude was ruled by the tyrannical Queen Roleke, who was known to behead her subjects on a whim. Her reign of terror was ended when the citizens took up arms and laid siege to the queen's palace, placing Irthvyd on the throne. Irthvyd died heirless and was succeeded by his senior adviser, Temylda, who took the throne after besting the other claimants in single combat. Temylda's reign was followed by that of the warrior-king Aldimar, who fought many battles against the Reachmen.

In 2E 431, Svartr of Solitude became the first king of Western Skyrim, and Solitude became the capital of the nascent kingdom. His descendant, Svargrim the Wolf, ruled the kingdom during the Planemeld.

Septim era

In the early Third Era, the elderly King Mantiarco reigned over Solitude as a vassal to Uriel Septim II. In order to repair soured relations with the imperial dynasty, Mantiarco wed a young Potema Septim. At first, she was only a pawn of a political marriage, but the king's love for her had led to her rise in power to totality. After several miscarriages, in 3E 97, Potema gave birth to Uriel Mantiarco, who was quickly named the heir of Solitude. In 3E 99, King Mantiarco died, leaving the kingdom to be jointly between Uriel Mantiarco and Queen Potema.

Potema's relationship with the Empire came to a climax when newly-crowned Empress Kintyra II degraded Potema and her mother, Magna, by questioning their future succession to the Ruby Throne. King Uriel and Queen Potema were banished from the inner court, returning to Solitude to form a large-scale rebellion against the Third Empire. These events gave way to the War of the Red Diamond, which escalated to the death of the Empress in 3E 114 and the ascension of Uriel Mantiarco as Uriel Septim III. But the conflict slowly ended in the favor of kings Cephorus I and Magnus when the former defeated the Emperor and brought him to his death in Gilane.

By 3E 137, the kingdom became a land of death and the elderly Queen Potema was kept in the Blue Palace, as Emperor Cephorus I relentlessly sacked the city of Solitude. With no real army at her disposal, Potema used daedra, her necromancers and the undead to face against her brother. She died sometime during the siege but her legacy continued through underground factions like the Hörme.

Following Potema's defeat, Thoriz Pelagius was named the king of Solitude by Emperor Cephorus. In his time spent in Solitude, Pelagius began to exhibit signs of insanity which earned him the moniker "Pelagius the Mad". In 3E 145, Pelagius ascended the imperial throne as Pelagius III, and his sister Jolethe became the queen of Solitude.

Queen Hania governed Solitude during the Imperial Simulacrum. By the waning years of the Third Era, it was ruled by King Thian, who entered a personal union with Queen Macalla of Dawnstar, sponsored expeditions to the Sea of Ghosts, and annexed the fiefdom of Roscrea.

Istlod of Solitude ruled as high king of Skyrim during the Great War, and was succeeded by his son, Torygg. In 4E 136, Torygg was killed by Ulfric Stormcloak, sparking the Skyrim Civil War. Torygg's widow Elisif led Solitude during this time, although Tullius, the military governor sent from Cyrodiil to restore peace, was the power behind the throne.

Places of interest

• Bards College
• Blue Palace
• Castle Dour
• East Empire Company Warehouse
• Long Green Lane
• Port of Solitude
• Solitude Bridge
• Solitude Sewers
• Temple of the Divines
• Well District