Dúnedain of Gondor

The Dúnedain of Gondor or Dúnedain of the South were Edain descended from the Númenórean colonists (and from their noble kin who escaped the Númenór's destruction in SA 3319) who settled in the southern land of Gondor at the end of the Second Age.
== History ==
=== Early history ===
Before the Downfall of Númenor, the region that would become Gondor was home to many Númenórean colonists, who either mingled with the indigenous Middle Men if they were friendly, or dispersed them into Ras Morthil, Dunland, and Drúadan Forest. The land on which Gondor was founded was more fertile than the more northerly areas of Middle-earth, and so it already had a fairly large population and settlements, including a well-established haven, Pelargir, founded by the Faithful Númenóreans in the year 2350 of the Second Age.
== Exiles of Númenor ==
The refugees from Númenor led by Isildur and Anárion were given a warm reception upon their arrival by those Númenórean colonists. Those west of the river Anduin accepted Elendil's claim to kingship over them, being the heir of the Faithful Lords of Andúnië. The Dúnedain therefore were the descendants of the Exiles of Númenor and Númenórean colonists who settled in the southern lands of Middle-earth and founded the southern kingdom of Gondor. Their first independent King was Meneldil, the nephew of Isildur, whose line ruled over Gondor for more than two thousand years. Unlike their cousins in the North, the Dúnedain of the South maintained their realm even after the loss of its Kings, and it survived under the rule of the Stewards of Gondor until the time of the War of the Ring, when the kingship was restored.
Category:Dúnedain
Category:Men of Gondor