North-realm

A term sometimes used in place of the equivalent 'North-kingdom'. Both refer to Arnor, the great kingdom founded in II 3320 by Elendil and his fellow Exiles of Númenor. During its early years, the North-realm held great power, and from it Elendil ruled as High King while the South-kingdom of Gondor was held jointly by his sons Isildur and Anárion. After Elendil's death in the War of the Last Alliance, and that of his successor Isildur soon afterwards, the only surviving heir to the North-realm was Isildur's young son Valandil. At this time the two realms became divided from one another, and though Valandil eventually took up his Kingship, he ruled Arnor only.

The North-realm failed to survive even the first millennium of the Third Age. With the death of its tenth King, Eärendur, dissension arose between his sons, and eventually the realm split into three separate kingdoms. There followed a time of division and warfare, and in the year III 1974 Arthedain, the last of the three remnants of Arnor, was overrun and destroyed. By the closing years of the Third Age, there had been no North-realm for more than a thousand years.