Lore:Antiochus

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Emperor Antiochus
Race Unknown Gender Male
Born 3E 51
Died 3E 120
Reign 3E 99-
3E 120
Previous Ruler Pelagius II
Next Ruler Kintyra II
Resided in Imperial City

Emperor Antiochus Septim (sometimes stylized as Antiochus I)[1] was the seventh emperor of the Septim Dynasty. He was preceded as emperor by his father, Pelagius II, and was succeeded by his daughter, Kintyra II.[2]

Biography[edit]

Antiochus Septim was born during the reign of his great-great-grandmother Empress Kintyra I in 3E 51 to the future Emperor Pelagius II and his unnamed first wife.[nb 1][3][4][5] He was the older brother of Potema, Cephorus, and Magnus.[3][5][6] Antiochus was one of the most flamboyant members of the usually austere Septim family.[2] By the time Antiochus was sixteen, he had the reputation of a drunkard and womanizer, which made him infamous in the Empire.[3] He was renowned for his grandness of dress and his good sense of humor.[2] On 15 Evening Star, 3E 98, Emperor Pelagius II died, and Antiochus attended his funeral in the Imperial City.[7][5]

As the eldest child of Pelagius II, Antiochus was the heir presumptive to the Ruby Throne.[5] The Elder Council delayed crowning Antiochus Emperor for at least six weeks, presumably due to their aversion to his father.[5] Finally, in 3E 99, the Elder Council crowned Antiochus the Emperor of Tamriel.[nb 2][3][8][6] At some point, Antiochus married his unnamed first wife, and later he married his second wife, Gysilla.[nb 3][6] He had many other wives and many mistresses.[2] In 3E 104, his daughter Kintyra was born.[6] He also had several other children.[3][9]

Emperor Antiochus' reign was rife with civil wars, surpassing even that of his grandfather, Uriel II.[2] By 3E 109, Antiochus' rule had dissatisfied many of the kings and queens of Skyrim, Morrowind, and High Rock.[3][6] By 3E 109, ten years after being crowned Emperor of Tamriel, Antiochus was quite fat, and he had many venereal diseases.[6] In 3E 110, the province of the Summerset Isles was nearly lost to the Maormer in the War of the Isle.[2][7][10] The united alliance of the royal navies of the Summerset Isles and the Imperial Navy only managed to defeat the Pyandonean Armada, commanded by Orgnum, King of the Maormer, due to a freak storm.[2][9] Legend credits the Psijic Order with the magic behind the storm.[2][10][11] The destruction of the Pyandonean Armada was the Emperor's greatest victory.[9] In 3E 119, Antiochus lapsed into a coma.[3][9] For months, he lingered in between life and death while the Elder Council prepared for the accession of Kintyra to the Ruby Throne.[9] In 3E 120, Emperor Antiochus died and was succeeded by his daughter, Kintyra.[nb 4][2][9][1] He was an able and popular ruler, despite his drinking and "moral laxity".[3][9]

Notes[edit]

  • 1  Sources give different years for Antiochus' birth. Biography of the Wolf Queen states that Antiochus was 16 years old in 3E 67 and 48 years old at the time of his coronation in 3E 99, putting his birth year in 3E 51. However, The Wolf Queen states that he was 43 years old in late 3E 98, putting his birth year in 3E 55. 3E 51 is most likely the correct date, as The Wolf Queen directly contradicts itself by stating that Antiochus was eleven years old in the autumntide of 3E 63, putting his birth year in 3E 51 or 3E 52. Additionally, The Wolf Queen states that Pelagius had been a widower for eleven years by 3E 63, putting the death of Antiochus' mother in 3E 51 or 3E 52.
  • 2  The Wolf Queen, The Third Era Timeline, and Biography of the Wolf Queen state that Antiochus was crowned in 3E 99. Brief History of the Empire and The Daggerfall Chronicles state that he was crowned in 3E 98.
  • 3  The Wolf Queen states that the name of Antiochus' wife was Gysilla, while Biography of the Wolf Queen states that her name was Magna.
  • 4  The Wolf Queen states that Antiochus fell into a coma in 3E 119 and that his funeral was in 3E 120. The Madness of Pelagius agrees, stating that Kintyra ascended the throne "just over a year" after Pelagius' birth in 3E 119. Both books are contradicted in the Biography of the Wolf Queen, which explicitly places his death in 3E 112. The year 3E 120 is presumably correct, since most references state that to be the correct year.
  • Magnus was Antiochus' favorite brother.[1]

References[edit]