The Aldmeri Dominion is the political and military alliance of the Altmer of Summerset, the Bosmer of Valenwood, and later the Khajiit of Elsweyr. Founded in the Second Era, reborn in the Fourth Era, it represents the assertion of Elven supremacy in Tamriel. The Dominion’s central claim is that mer, as descendants of the Aedra, are rightful stewards of Nirn, while the Empire of Man is a usurper responsible for chaos, Daedric incursions, and divine heresy.
Its origins lie in Summerset, where Altmer high culture and ancient grievance combined into a movement to reclaim dominion over Tamriel. Where the Empire sought unity through law and conquest, the Dominion seeks it through racial hierarchy and divine mandate.
The first Aldmeri Dominion was founded in 2E 580 by Queen Ayrenn Arana Aldmeri of Summerset. Seeing Tamriel in chaos after the fall of the Second Empire, she sought to restore order through Elven leadership. She allied with the Bosmer of Valenwood and the Khajiit of Elsweyr, forming a triadic alliance.
Summerset: Provided leadership, naval strength, and arcane mastery.
Valenwood: Provided archers, forests, and natural defenses.
Elsweyr: Provided cavalry, mobility, and access to southern trade.
The Dominion fought in the Alliance War (2E 582) against the Daggerfall Covenant and Ebonheart Pact, vying for control of the Imperial City. Though victories were won, the Dominion could not hold Cyrodiil permanently. By the late Second Era, the first Dominion collapsed under internal strain and Imperial resurgence.
During the Third Era, the Dominion reemerged intermittently, with Altmer asserting dominance over Valenwood through political manipulation and military pressure. The Bosmer kings of Valenwood increasingly answered to Summerset, while Khajiit ties loosened.
The Dominion in this era was less unified state than Altmer hegemony, projecting power across the southern coasts. It endured through subtlety and coercion, avoiding direct war with the Septim Empire but always undermining Imperial authority.
The most significant resurgence came after the fall of the Septim Dynasty and the chaos of the Oblivion Crisis. By the early Fourth Era, Altmer nationalists consolidated control in Summerset, now renamed Alinor, reviving the Dominion with renewed purpose: to restore Elven supremacy and dismantle the Empire of Man.
Valenwood was drawn in by Altmer manipulation, its kings deposed and loyalists installed.
Elsweyr joined after the Void Nights (4E 98), when the moons vanished for two years. The Thalmor claimed to have restored them, securing Khajiit loyalty.
This Third Dominion became the most powerful rival to the Empire since Tiber Septim. Its ideology was codified in the rise of the Thalmor, the ruling council of Alinor.
The Thalmor are both government and priesthood of the Dominion, a political faction within Summerset that rose to absolute authority. They are zealots of Altmeri supremacy, proclaiming that men are flawed usurpers, their empires destined to collapse, and only mer can guide Nirn to stability — and perhaps undo the mortal plane’s creation altogether.
Core tenets:
Superiority of Mer: Elves are descended from Aedra, men from the traitor Lorkhan.
Restoration of Order: The chaos of the Interregnum, the Oblivion Crisis, and the collapse of the Empire prove mankind’s unfitness.
Divine Right: The Dominion is divinely ordained, with Thalmor as instruments of Aedric will.
Suppression of Talos: The cult of Talos, a man-turned-god, is an abomination. Suppressing it weakens man’s false legitimacy.
The Thalmor are ruthless, enforcing ideology through Justiciars, inquisitors, and propaganda. To allies, they promise stability; to enemies, they bring annihilation.
The Dominion proved its power in the Great War against the Empire. After demanding the dissolution of the Blades and the outlawing of Talos worship, the Dominion invaded Cyrodiil and Hammerfell.
Initial Victories: Thalmor armies captured southern Cyrodiil, sacked Anvil, and reached the Imperial City.
Hammerfell Campaign: Dominion forces pushed into Alik’r Desert, burning cities and enslaving populations.
Battle of the Red Ring (4E 175): The Empire, under Emperor Titus Mede II, retook the Imperial City, annihilating the main Dominion army.
Despite this defeat, the White-Gold Concordat ended the war on Dominion terms: Talos worship outlawed, Blades disbanded, Hammerfell abandoned. Hammerfell continued resistance, eventually driving out the Dominion, but at cost of ties with the Empire.
The Great War established the Dominion as equal to, if not greater than, the Empire.
The Dominion is both alliance and hierarchy, reflecting the dominance of Summerset over Valenwood and Elsweyr.
Summerset (Alinor): Heart of Dominion, ruled by Thalmor. Altmer provide leadership, bureaucracy, and arcane power.
Valenwood: Subjugated Bosmer serve as archers and scouts, their Green Pact traditions tolerated but constrained by Thalmor oversight.
Elsweyr: Khajiit provide cavalry and trade, bound by religious gratitude for Thalmor’s “restoration” of the moons.
The Dominion presents itself as enlightened union, but in practice it is Elven empire with Bosmer and Khajiit as subordinates.
Military:
Dominion armies are disciplined, blending Altmeri battlemages, Bosmeri archers, and Khajiiti cavalry. Their fleets dominate southern seas, rivaling Imperial navies. Thalmor Justiciars enforce order within ranks, ensuring ideological purity.
Religion:
The Dominion reveres the Aedra, rejecting Talos as false god. Altmer faith dominates, though Bosmeri and Khajiiti traditions are tolerated when convenient. Worship of Talos is harshly suppressed wherever Dominion influence reaches.
Diplomacy:
The Dominion projects dual faces: benevolent protector of order, and ruthless conqueror. To provinces it offers stability; to the Empire, ultimatum. Its influence spreads not only by armies but by treaties, subversion, and propaganda.
Outsider Views:
To Imperials and Nords, the Dominion is tyranny disguised as order. To Khajiit loyalists, it is salvation. To Bosmer, it is burden and compromise. To Altmer, it is destiny fulfilled.
The Aldmeri Dominion embodies the Elven dream of supremacy. It is answer to the Empire, rival ideology of order and domination. Where the Empire claims unity through law, the Dominion claims unity through divine heritage.
By 4E 201, the Dominion stands as existential rival to the Mede Dynasty. Skyrim rebels in Stormcloak Rebellion, Hammerfell resists in isolation, and Cyrodiil trembles under Thalmor oversight. The question of Tamriel’s future is no longer whether it will be united — but whether by man or mer.
The Dominion’s legacy is one of ambition: an empire without mercy, built not on diversity but hierarchy, not on law but heritage. It is the dream of mer, the nightmare of men, and the challenge that defines the Fourth Era.