The province ofSkyrimis split into nine holds, each of which is governed by a Jarl who lives in the hold’s capital. And while the land has a High King to oversee it all,each Jarl governs their own land and is responsible for the well-being of its citizens. Yet as players know, Skyrim is currently in a state of immense distress, in the midst of a civil war and a dragon invasion. The Jarls' duties are more important than ever in these times.
And yet, many of the Jarls that the Dragonborn can meet are either overtly corrupt, incompetent, or woefully unprepared for their positions. There are some Jarls that make a good impression, but overall, the state of Skyrim’s local governance is in horrible disrepair. Still, it’s worth looking at which Jarls are handling their positions decently, and ranking them all to determine which stand out as the best examples of how a Jarl should be.
9Markarth’s Tense Political Situation Is Not Helped By Its Leader
The Scariest City In Skyrim
Of all the holds, Markarth is probably the most dangerous for its citizens, and is the worst city inSkyrim. That’s because, on top of the dragons and civil war,the land is torn between the Nordic colonizers and its original inhabitants, the Forsworn. Both sides are bent on killing one another to gain the land for themselves, and at the point where the Dragonborn arrives, the issue has reached a boiling point with the Forsworn murdering people inside the city walls.
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All of this is to say thattheinfighting and security within Markarth is terrible, and the leadership is entirely incapable of creating peace. Jarl Igmund, who sits on Markarth’s throne at the time of the story, is doing little to improve this situation. He hires mercenaries to go out and massacre Forsworn camps and generally blames the group for Markarth’s troubles, yet he does nothing to address the corruption within his walls or the Silver-Blood family’s exploitation of the conflict.
Depending on the outcome of the Imperial-Stormcloak civil war, certain Jarls may be deposed and replaced by a leader favored by the winning side. In this case, Igmund is an Imperial loyalist, and the Stormcloaks will appoint Thongvar Silver-Blood if they take the city.
His replacement in the case of Stormcloak victory,Thongvar Silver-Blood, is arguably even worse.He is more committed than Igmund to solving the crisis, but he aims to do so by killing off or enslaving the Forsworn in his family’s silver mines. The one thing Igmund has going for him is that he actually does seem to care about Markarth; Thongvar however, is more motivated by his family’s business interests. On the flip side, Thongvar at least has some knowledge of the hold’s economy, while Igmund only sits in his position because he was born into it.
8Falkreath’s Citizens Must Choose Between Corruption And Paranoia
Neither Is A Good Option
While Falkreath is not the most dangerous place in Skyrim, its leadership is definitely lacking, and is comparable to Markarth’s in terms of ineffectiveness. In fact,Jarls Siddgeir and Dengeir of Stuhn are probably the most incompetent Jarls in the entire province. Siddgeir sits on the throne by default, while Dengeir will take it up if the Stormcloaks take the hold. But either way, there are major problems with their leadership.
Siddgeir is the worst of the two, a spoiled and petulant man who does not take his position seriously or care much about the people of Falkreath. He lies about his hall and brags about his wealth, all while barely concealing the fact thathe works with bandits to rob traders and line his own pockets.
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Dengeir is at least a bit more experienced, having served as Jarl previously. But he is old, senile, andincredibly paranoid, suspecting pretty much everyone around him of being an Imperial spy. His distrust of others would likely be bad for foreign relations and working with other holds. Neither of these Jarls inspire much confidence in their abilities, and they are lucky to be in charge of a hold where little happens in-game, since if they had any real power they would likely make a much bigger mess of things.
7Winterhold’s Decrepit State Is Reflective Of Its Leadership
A Festering Grudge, A Rotting City
The Jarls of Winterhold have a rough job ahead of them, ruling a town that has mostly been collapsed into the sea (although timeline-wise, it does not really make much sense forWinterhold to be as destroyedas it still is). That being said, Korir and Kraldar are not great at their jobs. They both focus much of their attention on the college of Winterhold,Kraldar due to fascination, and Korir due to a grudge.
Korir is the default Jarl, and he spends much of his time vilifying the college and mourning the decrepit state of his hold.One thing he isn’t doing is rebuilding the dilapidated houseson the fringes of town or attempting to improve relations between the townsfolk and mages. He is probably right about the college causing the downfall of Winterhold, but him holding onto his hatred allows his hold to continue to deteriorate.
Kraldar, his Imperial-supported replacement, at least has an interest inworking with the college, which could help to improve the state of Winterhold as a whole. He’s an optimistic and charismatic man who seems like a better figure to try and rebuild the hold. But he is also almost too forgiving towards the college, to the point offocusing more on their business than supporting the actual townsfolk.
6Solitude’s Jarl Is The Newest To The Position
No Matter The War’s Outcome, Elisif Remains
Solitude is the only hold which will not change its leadership depending on the outcome of the war. Jarl Elisif, widow of High King Torygg, willretain her seat even if the Stormcloaks take her city. It’s difficult to say whether that decision was wise, because Elisif is both inexperienced and incredibly angry at Ulfric Stormcloak for killing her husband.
All of that aside, Elisif’s inexperience is paired with an earnest devotion to her people and to returning Skyrim to the Empire’s side. She is a Jarl that actively engages with many of her citizens, including the leader of the Bard’s College – which is at the center of avery underwhelmingSkyrimquest– and a representative from the town of Dragon’s Bridge.She is overzealous about helping them, and is often closely advised by her stewardand court mage, leading some of her people to see her as more of a figurehead than an actual leader.
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Elisif is more well-meaning than many other Jarls, and genuinely seems to want the best for her people. Buther connections to the Empire and Aldmeri Dominion do raise some red flags, and her people generally seem to respect General Tullius more than her as the true leader of Solitude. She’s a difficult to judge, both due to the short time she has been in power and the inherently strong seat that Solitude is, leaving her around the middle of the pack.
5Riften’s Leadership Is Riddled With Corruption
Naivety Or Ruthless Greed
Next to Markarth, Riften is the hold most troubled by problems from within. Specifically,Skyrim’s notorious Thieves' Guildoperates inside Riften, giving it a criminal underbelly that constantly exploits its citizens. The Jarls of such a hold should make it their top priority to protect their people from this guild; instead, the hold’s leadership is either ignorant of the problem or working with the Guild for their own gain.
It should be noted that the Thieves' Guild is on a downward trajectory before the Dragonborn shows up in Riften; however, this is due less to the city’s leadership and more to the Thieves' Guild’s own internal struggles.
In the event that the Imperials take Riften,Maven Black-Briar herself will become the Jarl. This would put one of the most ruthless and corrupt people in all of Skyrim in control of a major port, a decision which would no doubt have disastrous implications for the entire province. The Dragonborn can learn about all sorts of awful things Maven does even before becoming the ruler of the hold, including having her own employees killed. The best thing that can be said about Maven is thatshe is strong-willed and knowledgeable about the harsher truths of politics, but her rule would no doubt be an authoritarian one.
Out With The Old, In With The New
Dawnstar starts off with one of the worst Jarls in the game,butcan end up with one of the best if the Empire takes the city.Its default leader, Skald the Elder, is both disliked by his people and out of touch with their concerns, focusing more on the Stormcloak’s victory than the dragons which frequently attack them. Dawnstar is already a troubled city, cut off from most of Skyrim by a harsh tundra and plagued by the Daedric Prince of nightmares, Vaermina. It needs a leader who can guide its people through those problems.
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But Skald is a disgruntled and belligerent man preoccupied with threatening his own citizens with execution if their views differ from his own. He despises the Empire with a passion, andactively hopes for the fighting to come to Dawnstar so his hold can matter in the war. He believes the dragons are the Empire’s fault since they banned Talos worship, and does not set up any defenses against them, believing they will vanish once the Stormcloaks win.
Dawstar is one of the holds that receives the most frequent dragon attacks, making it especially damning that Skald pays them no mind.
He is the exact opposite of Brina Merilis, the woman who replaces him in the event of an Imperial victory.Brina is respected by her fellow citizens, who prefer her over Skaldeven when he is still in charge. When she takes power, she will prioritize defending against the dragons, and generally seems to have a better plan for Dawnstar than Skald. At the very least, she is grounded in reality, while Skald is blinded by his hate-fueled delusions.
3Morthal’s Leadership Dips Into The Arcane
A Leader With Literal Foresight
One of the most interesting Jarls in the game is Idrgod Ravencrone, Jarl of Morthal and an avid practicer of the arcane arts.Idgrod claims to see the future in her dreams, giving her some magical methods of foreseeing the outcomes of certain actions. Such a power should make her one of the best leaders in the game, but a few factors drag her down in the rankings. Chief among them is that her own people distrust her use of magic, as well as the court mage she has recently brought into town.
Idgrod has ruled Morthal for a long time and, through her visions and wisdom, kept it from being destroyed by the monsters in the surrounding swamps. She has a history of conflict with local vampires and knowledge of forbidden magic that many Jarls are missing, buther aloof nature and mysteriousness have tarnished her reputationand hurt her ability to connect with the people.
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She is still better than her potential replacement, Sorli the Builder, who will step in if the Stormcloaks win the hold. Sorli is a more down-to-earth ruler, who takes an active position in patrolling her hold and seems to have the respect of her people. The main faults with Sorli, however, mirror those of the people of Morthal. She is distrusting of magic and ostracizes the court wizard, Falion, hindering his ability to protect the hold. Plus, based on her dialogue,she has aspirations to leave Morthal and rule Riften,showing a lack of commitment to the area and her position.
2Windhelm Has Two Drastically Opposed Options For It Jarls
A Warmonger And A Peacemaker
Of course, the default leader of Windhelm is Ulfric Stormcloak, leader of the Stormcloak rebels and killer of the former High King. He is by farthe most controversial Jarl in the game, both among the people of Skyrim and the player base itself. Some call him a hero, while others hate him for murdering his king and usurping his throne. Much of Ulfric’s story is focused around his campaign to defeat the Imperial presence in the province, but looking at his leadership of his own hold, it leaves a lot to be desired.
Putting aside whether the Stormcloak rebellion is justified, it has had a negative impact on Windhelm and Skyrim as a whole, creating chaos and bloodshed among its people.
Chief among Windhelm’s problems is its treatment of the dark elves and argonians. Both minority groups are treated like garbage, living in slums and on the freezing docks, constantly badgered by several hateful residents of the hold. Little to nothing is being done to improve their lot within the city, and while Ulfric may never directly espouse the hateful rhetoric of some of his people,his policies reflect a nord-first governing style that has resulted in a massive disparity in the quality of lifein Windhelm, furthering theracial disparity in Skyrim’s diverse population. Plus, he clearly has ambitions beyond the hold, and is more dedicated to his war than his position.
If Ulfric is killed and the Empire is victorious, however, a much better candidate will step in: Brunwulf Free-Winter, potentially the best Jarl in the province. Brunwulf is everything Ulfric is not: contemplative, compassionate, and committed to Windhelm specifically. Even before taking the throne,he is committed to improving the lives of the Dunmer and argonian citizens,and fostering a peaceful relationship between them and the nords. He will immediately begin working on legislation to help them if put into power. He definitely lacks Ulfric’s charisma and passion, but he is the most active Jarl when it comes to actually creating progress in his hold.
1Whiterun’s Leadership Is Level-Headed And Dependable
The Fan-Favorite Jarl Caps Off The List
Of course, the Jarl who tops this list is the one that most players will be familiar with: Jarl Balgruuf the Greater, ruler of Whiterun and an early ally of the Dragonborn. Balgruuf makes this high on the list not just becausehe is concerned with the dragon crisis and helps to defeat Alduin,but because he shows some of the most level-headed leadership in the game. He governs a hold incredibly divided in terms of its civil war loyalties, but manages to keep it from turning violent within the city itself, and manages to retain the respect of his citizens despite his neutrality.
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That being said,Balgruuf’s hesitation to choose a side in the war is probably his greatest mistake as a Jarl. It leaves Whiterun in a super vulnerable position, which either allows Ulfric to easily take it early on in the game or forces Balgruuf to accept Imperial aid and leadership. Outside this error, however, Balgruuf shows an intense passion for his people, caution in making tough decisions, a willingness to listen to his advisors, and healthy prioritization of Whiterun’s issues.
Jarl Name and Hold
1
2
7
Skald the Elder (Dawnstar)
3
8
9
Dangeir of Stuhn (Falkreath)
11
4
Sorli the Builder (Morthal)
13
5
Elisif the Fair (Solitude)
15
19
Balgruuf the Greater (Whiterun)
21
23
His replacement in the case of the Stormcloak victory, Vignar Gray-Mane, is certainly worse, though still among the better Jarls inSkyrim. He is much more biased towards the Stormcloaks than Balgruuf was, which is not great for the ruler of a divided hold, buthe prioritizes the rebuilding of the city after the Stormcloaks' attack and has an awareness of Whiterun’s worship of Talos,opting to build a temple for the god within its walls. Of all the holds, Whiterun has the most consistent strong leadership, even despite its role as a battlefield during the war.
