Ceorlund

Ceorlund is the major and most populous constituent of The Confederate Kingdoms (the other being Amelund). Ceorlund comes from the words Ceor - meaning Horse, and Lund - meaning land. It is called this for its vast abundance of horses. It is split up into seven Jarldoms. More on the constitution of Ceorlund and the system of Jarls and Jarldoms can be found here:  Ceorlund is inhabited by High Men.

Ceorlund has gone through numerous iterations:
 * As a part of The Two Kingdoms of Men. (ct:8323-10452)
 * As a part of The United Kingdom of Men. (ct:10452-11997)
 * Independent, see:
 * As a part of The Confederate Kingdoms. (ct:16012-now)

Jarldoms
The seven Jarldoms of Ceorlund are, in decreasing order of population: Ysimadom (named after the capital, Ysimazar); Alcazadom (named after the fortress of Alcazar); Noðadom (north-domain); Estadom (east-domain); Cestadom (west-domain); Serdom (south-domain). More can be found out about them on their relevant pages.

As a part of The Two Kingdoms of Men (ct:8323 - 10452):
Ceorlund was founded at the same time and in partnership with Estcyndom in the year ct:8322, after Wulf Elfbane and his people are gifted the two realms by the Dwarves. Wulf promptly moved his capital to Ysimazar in Ceorlund, and with him went almost all of the Mannish people, so the eastern kingdom lay all but empty. In the next few hundred years the population grew from hundreds to tens of thousands (roughly 70,000 in ct:9100). Mannish culture and power boomed at this time, which is sometimes refered to as the First Mannish Expanison by lore-masters. The House of Wulf endured througout, and their claim was considered secure as they were descendants of Atama himself.

As Ceorlund expansed so did Estcyndom, with many Men emigrating to there - but more on this can be found on the relevant page.

Throughout these 'early years' of Mannish settlement of Sentres, there was no real settlement on how nobles should be treated or how the kingdoms should be organised - there was no set constitutional system. Ceorlund and Estcyndom were ruled over by the High King of The Two Kingdoms of Men, and both kingdoms were looked on as two parts of the same organisation. Jarls were Men who owned large swathes of land in either (or both) kingdoms. Those who lived within the Jarls' realms were given rights to food and settlement in return for taxes. In turn, the Jarls would pay tax to the king. By the year ct:10,000 however, Jarls owned all Mannish land and the feudal and chivalric system was a mess of high taxes and false claims and mock-courts. Jarls routinely killed or abused those who lived on their land in the absence of a proper judical system. The Jarls employed mercenaries to do excercise their law, but the king had no army for himself. The only force excercising control were the Wardens. It was clear there had to be an overhaul.

So, in ct:10449, a group of Jarls and the High King banded together to write up a set consitutional system, while taking into account all the Mannish people and their culture. However they faced fierce opposition from the other corrupt Jarls. And so a great conflict erupted between 2-3 factions - those in support of the king and constitutional refom, those who wanted to keep the old constitution. A year or so into the conflict a difference in oppinions came about in the faction opposed to reform. There were those who wanted simply for the world to stay as it was, with perhaps a new king. And there were also those who thought that the Jarls should be completely independent from the King and his taxes - many wanted to completely remove any king of king or higher authority. These factions were called 'The King's Men' or 'The Constitutionals' and 'The Jarlists'. The Jarlists then split into 'The Jarlists' and 'The Independents' (or 'The Anarchists').

This war, more of which can be found here:  brought the combined population of The Two Kingdoms down from 750,000 to 500,000. In terms of other races, The Dwarven Empire supported the king, while it is said the Elves supported The Independents.

On 1/1/10452, the war was over. The Jarlists and Independents had been squeezed into two small corners of Estcyndom - The Jarlists by The Wownriver, and The Independents by the border with The Elven Realm. A significant amount of Jarlists fled into The Wownlands, where they eventually set up a rouge kingdom, while the others surrendered and were forgiven by the king. Many of The Independents however fled into The Elven Realm rather than accept defeat. They formed The Order of Merchants, in favour of a completely trade-based world in which there were no kings, rather every Man for himself. The Order of Merchants still exists to this day, living on The Western Isles and supported by The Elvenking.

As a part of The United Kingdom of Men (ct:10452 - 11997)
The constitutional reform was implemented, and so The United Kingdom of Men was created in the summer of ct:10452. Ceorlund and Estcyndom existed merely as geographical/locational names. 20 Jarldoms were established, each with a Jarl at it's head. This created a problem however. Before the war, there had been in excess of 30 Jarls, and while some had fled, this still left many Jarls without a Jarldom. Some became co-rulers of Jarldoms with allies, while others were offered outstanding positions in the newly formed Royal Army. Jarls could have a small force of body guards, but could not hold their own army. The High King of The Two Kingdoms of Men changed his title to King of Men.

The kingdom never really recovered from the war, and for this it would pay. In the year ct:11400 The Realm of The Wownlands was taken over by a Man calling himself Lord Sejaan. Sejaan promised glory for the wownlanders, and to outsiders the charm and manipulative charisma of Sejaan seemed too good to be true. It was. Unbeknownst to the world at the time, Lord Sejaan was a physical embodiment of the most evil Naril Strandi, who had destroyed the world of the gods many eons in the past. Sejaan corrupted the wownlanders, and they developed a terrible speech called Nashguk, which tore at the ears of those who heard it. The Wownlanders became known as the Catunensath, meaning corrupted ones in Common Faronaf. The Wownlands became Nurgaroth, meaning darkness.

And so when the attack on Estcyndom did come, nothing could be done to combat the armies of darkness. The Dwarven Empire seemed about to fall, and the Elves wished more than most to see the men fall. Ceorlund accepted hundreds of thousands of refugees from Estcyndom, but many had been killed or corrupted by Sejaan. The refugees brought with them tales of torture and massacre at the hands of the Catunensath. By the year ct:11995 it was all over, and there Ceorlund remained - a last bastion of Men.

In the year ct:11997 the King of Men realised all was lost, and it would be hundreds, if thousands of years to be able to rally the world behind them and retake the eastern kingdom. He changed his title to King of Ceorlund, and so began a low point in Mannish history.

Independent (ct:11997 - 16012):
See:

Just after the Third Sentrian War, Cestlund seceded from Ceorlund - a grant from King Niklas to the Cestingas for their valiant fighting in the war.

As a part of The Confederate Kingdoms (ct: 16012 - now):
The Confederate Kingdoms were formed on the ct:1/8/16012, by the King of Ceorlund - Niklas Wulf-Kin I. The idea was to combine the 3 High Mannish Kingdoms - Ceorlund, Serdlund and the newly liberated Amelund. Each Kingdom would have a large degree of autonomy, but would be unified under a Lord, who would be the Chief of Men. In the end only Ceorlund and Amelund entered into the new constitution.