The High King
Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2015 12:14 am
Should there be a High King of Skyrim in our mod? If so, who should it be?
Here are some posts from the old forum to stimulate discussion.
Here are some posts from the old forum to stimulate discussion.
I actually thought that Skyrim would always have had some high-king over all of Skyrim. TES V atleast starts with the murder of the high king of Skyrim. The first pg describes the situation in the 2nd era, the 3rd pg speaks of interrupted reigns. I simply assume that there is always a high king that is either determined by heirship or by the moot and that it's merely so that at least one hold at any time does not recognize the latters sovereignty, when it is a weak high king, a few holds will go apart until the next high king settles it or not. Just a theory though.
Yeti wrote:Nord territory is divided into nine administrated districts, called Holds. Although Jarls rule these miniature kingdoms in TESV, we’ve decided to have them ruled by Kings. These monarchs oversee their sovereign territory, working closely with Imperial officials to administer the area. They are largely autonomous from one another, but are vassals of the High King, who is meant to represent the province as a whole.
The High King typically inherits the throne by birth and rules for life until abdication. In the event that no direct heir to the throne exists, the nine Holds hold a moot, or vote, on whom the next High King should be. When there is a clear legitimate heir, the Moot still meets and votes on a successor, but this is more a ceremonial formality than anything else. The Pact of Chieftains, a meeting between Nord leaders after the disastrous War of Succession, made sure that the outcome of the vote would never be in dispute when a direct heir available. Every High King swears fealty to the Emperor and occupies a seat on the Elder Council.
As far as I can tell, nothing is known about the High King of Skyrim at the time of our mod. He’s basically a blank slate who we can do practically anything with. Likewise, we have a lot of room deciding how influential he actually has in the politics of the province. Although the High King in TESV seems to be a person of some authority, I kind of like the idea of making the High King of our era more of a figurehead than anything else. His power to make major province-wide decisions on his own is effectively neutered by the central government of the Emperor. Although he might be able to assert his authority in the Fourth Era when the Empire is on the brink of collapse, this is the Third Era, and the Septim’s are still solidly in control. I also kind of like the idea of the Kings of the nine Holds intentionally electing weak rulers to the throne of the High King, in order to preserve their own independence.