# The Northern Wars of the Witcher Saga, 1239–1268

> Interactive animated map on Moving Polygons by chrisjager, 1 Jun 1238 – 1 Jun 1268: 35 keyframes, 37 layers, 8 events.

- Map: https://www.movingpolygons.com/map/chrisjager/the-northern-wars-of-the-witcher-saga-12391268
- Embed: `<iframe src="https://www.movingpolygons.com/embed/chrisjager/the-northern-wars-of-the-witcher-saga-12391268" width="800" height="600" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>`
- Last updated: 2026-10-31

## About this map

Nilfgaard against the Northern Kingdoms in Andrzej Sapkowski's Witcher novels: Ebbing 1239, the fall of Cintra and the battles of Sodden 1263, the Second War from the Thanedd coup to Brenna and the Peace of Cintra, 1267–68. Moving blocks are armies. Unofficial fan map on an original basemap; not endorsed by Andrzej Sapkowski or CD PROJEKT RED.

## Timeline

The map animates between these keyframes.

| Date | What the map shows |
| --- | --- |
| 1 Jun 1238 | 1238 · The Continent before the Northern Wars |
| 1 Jun 1239 | 1239 · The Usurper annexes Ebbing |
| 1 Jun 1245 | c. 1245 · Metinna falls to the Empire |
| 1 Jun 1250 | c. 1250 · Nazair becomes a province |
| 1 Jun 1255 | 1250s · Maecht falls; Nilfgaard at the Amell |
| 1 Jun 1257 | 1257 · Emhyr var Emreis takes the throne |
| 1 Mar 1263 | 1263 · Battle of Marnadal: Nilfgaard crosses |
| 1 Apr 1263 | 1263 · The Slaughter of Cintra |
| 1 May 1263 | 1263 · Upper Sodden burned |
| 1 Jun 1263 | 1263 · First Battle of Sodden: Nilfgaard wins |
| 1 Jul 1263 | 1263 · Sodden Hill: the mages stop Nilfgaard |
| 1 Jun 1264 | 1264 · Armed peace on the Yaruga |
| 1 Dec 1264 | 1264 · Sodden and Brugge become Temeria's vassals |
| 1 Jun 1265 | 1265 · Scoia'tael commandos rise in the North |
| 1 Jun 1267 | Jun 1267 · Kings plot at Hagge; Nilfgaard musters |
| 1 Jul 1267 | Jul 1267 · Thanedd coup; Lyria invaded |
| 8 Jul 1267 | Jul 1267 · Lyria and Rivia fall |
| 16 Jul 1267 | Jul 1267 · Battle of Aldersberg |
| 24 Jul 1267 | Jul 1267 · Vengerberg falls |
| 1 Aug 1267 | Aug 1267 · Aedirn carved up; Verden submits |
| 12 Aug 1267 | Aug 1267 · Brugge attacked from three sides |
| 20 Aug 1267 | Aug 1267 · Angren and Riverdell overrun |
| 28 Aug 1267 | Aug 1267 · Sodden overrun; Mayena besieged |
| 20 Sep 1267 | Sep 1267 · Battle of Maribor; Nilfgaard halts |
| 1 Dec 1267 | Dec 1267 · Emhyr waits for spring |
| 15 Feb 1268 | Feb 1268 · Spring offensive; Verden rises |
| 1 Mar 1268 | Mar 1268 · Coehoorn besieges Mayena again |
| 10 Mar 1268 | Mar 1268 · Battle of Brenna |
| 18 Mar 1268 | Mar 1268 · Natalis routs the Mayena column |
| 22 Mar 1268 | Mar 1268 · Brugge freed; de Wett leaves Verden |
| 27 Mar 1268 | Mar 1268 · Second Aldersberg; Aedirn freed |
| 30 Mar 1268 | Mar 1268 · Kaedwen reaches Dol Angra |
| 2 Apr 1268 | 2 Apr 1268 · Peace of Cintra |
| 20 Apr 1268 | Apr 1268 · The last garrisons leave Verden |
| 1 Jun 1268 | Jun 1268 · Pogrom in Rivia; the saga ends |

## Layers

| Layer | First shown | Last keyframe |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Nilfgaardian Empire and its provinces | 1 Jun 1238 | 1 Jun 1268 |
| Toussaint (vassal duchy of Nilfgaard) | 1 Jun 1238 | 1 Jun 1238 |
| Ebbing | 1 Jun 1238 | 1 Jun 1239 |
| Metinna | 1 Jun 1238 | 1 Jun 1245 |
| Nazair | 1 Jun 1238 | 1 Jun 1250 |
| Maecht | 1 Jun 1238 | 1 Jun 1255 |
| Cintra | 1 Jun 1238 | 1 Apr 1263 |
| Skellige | 1 Jun 1238 | 1 Jun 1238 |
| Verden (Nilfgaardian vassal Aug 1267–Feb 1268) | 1 Jun 1238 | 15 Feb 1268 |
| Brugge (vassal of Temeria) | 1 Jun 1238 | 22 Mar 1268 |
| Sodden and its marches (Riverdell, Angren) | 1 Jun 1238 | 2 Apr 1268 |
| Lyria and Rivia | 1 Jun 1238 | 27 Mar 1268 |
| Aedirn | 1 Jun 1238 | 2 Apr 1268 |
| Dol Blathanna (elves) | 1 Aug 1267 | 2 Apr 1268 |
| Mahakam (dwarves and gnomes) | 1 Jun 1238 | 1 Jun 1238 |
| Brokilon (dryads) | 1 Jun 1238 | 1 Jun 1238 |
| Cidaris | 1 Jun 1238 | 1 Jun 1238 |
| Kerack | 1 Jun 1238 | 1 Jun 1238 |
| Temeria | 1 Jun 1238 | 2 Apr 1268 |
| Free City of Novigrad | 1 Jun 1238 | 1 Jun 1238 |
| Redania | 1 Jun 1238 | 1 Jun 1238 |
| Kaedwen | 1 Jun 1238 | 1 Aug 1267 |
| Kovir and Poviss | 1 Jun 1238 | 1 Jun 1238 |
| Hengfors League | 1 Jun 1238 | 1 Jun 1238 |
| Nilfgaardian army (Menno Coehoorn), 1263 | 1 Jun 1257 | 1 Dec 1264 |
| Northern armies (Foltest, Vizimir, Demavend, Henselt), 1263 | 1 Apr 1263 | 1 Dec 1264 |
| Nilfgaard: Army Group East (Ardal aep Dahy), 1267–68 | 1 Jun 1267 | 20 Apr 1268 |
| Nilfgaard: Army Group Centre (Menno Coehoorn), 1267–68 | 24 Jul 1267 | 18 Mar 1268 |
| Northern army (Foltest, Jan Natalis), 1267–68 | 1 Aug 1267 | 20 Apr 1268 |
| Nilfgaard: Verden Operations Group (Joachim de Wett), 1267–68 | 24 Jul 1267 | 30 Mar 1268 |
| Kaedwen army (Henselt), 1267–68 | 24 Jul 1267 | 20 Apr 1268 |
| Nilfgaardian invasion of Cintra, 1263 | 1 Jun 1257 | 1 Apr 1263 |
| Invasion through Dol Angra, 1267 | 1 Jun 1267 | 8 Jul 1267 |
| Black Infantry across the Yaruga, 1267 | 1 Aug 1267 | 20 Aug 1267 |
| From Verden into Brugge, 1267 | 1 Aug 1267 | 20 Aug 1267 |
| Scoia'tael out of Brokilon, 1267 | 1 Aug 1267 | 20 Aug 1267 |
| Natalis' pursuit to Mayena, 1268 | 10 Mar 1268 | 22 Mar 1268 |

## Events

- **1 Jun 1257, Emhyr var Emreis crowned**: 1257: the Usurper is killed in a palace coup and Emhyr var Emreis, the 'White Flame Dancing on the Barrows of his Enemies', takes the throne of Nilfgaard.
- **1 Mar 1263, Battle of Marnadal**: 1263: Menno Coehoorn's army crosses the Amell by the Marnadal Stairs and destroys the Cintran army at the mouth of the pass. King Eist Tuirseach falls.
- **1 Apr 1263, The Slaughter of Cintra**: The capital is sacked and its people massacred; Queen Calanthe takes her own life. Her granddaughter Ciri escapes the burning city.
- **1 Jul 1263, Battle of Sodden Hill**: The Second Battle of Sodden: the armies of Temeria, Redania, Aedirn and Kaedwen and twenty-two mages of the Brotherhood beat Coehoorn. Fourteen mages are buried on 'Mage Hill'. Nilfgaard falls back behind the Yaruga.
- **1 Jul 1267, Thanedd coup**: July 1267: at the mages' conclave on Thanedd, Vilgefortz and the Nilfgaard-backed sorcerers seize the island. The Brotherhood of Sorcerers falls apart, and Nilfgaard marches the same week.
- **10 Mar 1268, Battle of Brenna**: March 1268: Jan Natalis and King Foltest, with Redanians, dwarves of Mahakam and the Free Company of Kovir, destroy Menno Coehoorn's Army Group Centre between the Chotla and the burnt village of Brenna. The turning point of the war.
- **2 Apr 1268, Peace of Cintra**: 2 April 1268. Temeria gains Sodden, Riverdell and Angren; Brugge and Lyria are handed back; Dol Blathanna becomes an elven allod sworn to Aedirn; Kaedwen keeps Upper Aedirn for a payment. Cintra stays with Nilfgaard: Emhyr marries 'Cirilla', in truth a double. The Lodge of Sorceresses wrote most of it.
- **1 Jun 1268, Pogrom in Rivia**: Summer 1268: during the celebrations of the peace a pogrom against non-humans breaks out in Rivia, and the saga of Geralt and Yennefer comes to its end. The borders drawn at Cintra stand.
- Plus 20 smaller events, shown as dots on the map.