After ruling for 442 years, Tar- Minyatur died of old age, leaving his eldest son Tar-Vardamir
to inherit the royal sceptre.
Yet Tar-Vardamir felt too advanced in age for the responsibility and so abdicated in
favour of his son Tar Amandil who ruled until the year 590 of the Second Age, when he stepped
down in favour his heir Tar-Elendil whose reign saw the explorer Veantur, captain of
the King’s ships, become the first to sail east and land upon the Grey Havens of Middle-earth
in the year 600 SA, where he established a friendship and alliance with Gil Galad, High
King of the Elves.
In the year 740 SA, Elendil abdicated in favour of his third born child Tar-Meneldur, passing
over his 2 older daughters because the law forbid women from ruling.
Nevertheless, Elendil’s first born child Silmarien had a tremendous impact on the history
of their people, as her son Valandil was granted the hereditary title Lord of Andunie by his
grandfather.
Due to their kinship with the royal family, the Lord of Andunie and his descendants were
highly respected and prominent figures on the island, who would one day inherit the
legacy and leadership of their people throughout the third age and beyond.
Under Tar Elendil and Tar-Meneldur, Numenor further explored middle-earth, and through
their friendship with the Elves, were contacted by the middle-men, human tribes descended
from the Atanatari who did not pass beyond the blue mountains during their migration
west.
Sharing common ancestry with the Middle Men, through the Houses of Beor and Hador, the
Numenoreans recognized linguistic similarities and so considered them kinsmen, establishing
friendly relations and trade, while also imparting knowledge about better agricultural techniques,
more advanced forms of crafting and lessons in smithwork.
As the Dunedain settled their own colonies, they even intermixed with the middle men,
allowing their languages to combine and create Westron, which became the common speech of
men in the third age.
Unfortunately, the Numenoreans did not feel this same camaraderie with tribes descended
from the Haladin, despite sharing kinship, as they spoke a different, less intelligible
language, and so were not counted as Middle-men and treated with hostility.
In the year 883 SA, Tar Meneldur abdicated in favor of his son Tar-Aldarion who was estranged
from his wife Erendis and therefore produced only one child, a daughter Aranel who was
legally prohibited from inheriting the throne.
Unsatisfied with this tradition, the king changed the laws of succession from agnatic
to cognatic primogeniture, ensuring that the eldest child, regardless of sex, would be
named royal heir.
Therefore, when Tar-Aldarion abdicated in 1075, his daughter Aranel took the name Tar-Ancalime
to become the first Queen of Numenor.
Ruling until the year 1280, Ancalime relinquished the royal sceptre for her son Tar- Anarion,
who did the same in 1394 for his third born child Tar-Surion, as his 2 elder daughters
refused the sceptre.
Tar-Surion reigned until 1556, when he was succeeded by his daughter Tar-Telperien, the
second ever Queen of Numenor.
During the reign of Tar-Telperien, a great conflict erupted in Middle-earth when the
second dark lord Sauron tricked the Elves of Eregion into forging 19 rings of power,
in the hopes of controlling them with his own master ring, forged in the fires of mount
doom.
When his plan failed, the dark lord attempted to take the rings by force, resulting in the
War of the Elves and Sauron, fought from 1693-1701.
Though Tar-Telperien was reluctant to involve herself in the affairs of Middle-earth, her
nephew and heir Minastir answered Gil-galad’s call for reinforcements, sending the commander
Ciryatur with a vast army and fleet.
Splitting their forces in two, the Numenoreans defeated their enemies in the north at the
Battle of Sarn Ford and again in the south near the Gwathló river, before striking a
final blow in the east of Callenardhon, forcing Sauron back into Mordor, broken and humiliated.
As Tar-Telperien never married or produced a child, it was her nephew Tar-Minastir who
inherited the sceptre in 1731.
Seeking to secure the lands of their allies from further invasion, Tar-Minastir established
permanent settlements in middle-earth.
However his son Tar-Ciryatan did not feel this same allegiance to the Elves, and so
when he took power in 1869, dedicated his reign to expanding their imperial power, sending
ships to colonize every corner of the world, while demanded tribute from the peoples of
middle earth.
It was under Tar-Ciryatan, that Numenorean attitudes towards their friends and allies
changed, including a growing resentment felt towards the ban of the Valar, preventing them
from sailing westward.
Though the Valar, Maiar and Elves were all permitted to live in Valinor upon the continent
of Aman, experiencing the enchanted paradise for as long as they wished, mortal men were
forbidden from travelling to these sacred lands.
Under Tar-Ciryatan, many started to see this as an injustice, unable to comprehend why
the Noldor Elves, who once rebelled against the Valar and voluntarily left the Undying
Lands, were later allowed to return, but the High Men of Numenor, who fought for the Valar
in the War of Wrath, were not permitted.
Understanding their confusion and seeking to answer their questions, the Valar sent
emissaries to explain that the world of Arda was the eternal home of the Elves, who were
fated to experience its pleasures and wariness until they day of doom and end of all things.
For this reason, the First Born Children of Eru felt a special connection to the natural
world and were invited to enjoy the paradise of the Undying Lands.
This world however, was not the final home of Men, who were only temporary visitors,
enduring short lives of relative hardship because a second, secret destiny awaited them
after death.
Were humans allowed to travel to the Undying Lands and enjoy the bliss of this paradise,
they would be granted both the gift of Elves and Men, which in turn would be a true injustice
that Eru would not allow.
Yet this explanation did not satisfy the men of Numenor, who responded that awaiting a
second, unknown destiny after death required an unreasonable amount of faith, as they could
not be certain of Eru’s intentions or the majesty of this other fate.
Travelling west to the Undying Lands however, was something they could accomplish within
their lifetimes, ensuring joy and pleasure in this world.
Despite their arguments, the Emmisaries of the Valar would not relent, and so relations
worsened over time, with Numenorean anger and fear of death increasing which then diminished
their blessings from Eru, shortening their extended lifespans and pushing them further
towards an imperialist mindset they used to expand their empire and conquer the world.