History of Amn

The History of Amn dates back to it's independence from the Shoon Imperium, following that Realm's collapse in 450 DR.

Pre-history
Human habitation of the lands that would become Amn dated all the way back to the emigration of elves from Faerie. Primitive human tribes were native to the region and lived under the boughs of the elven realm of Keltormir. Dragon fires eventually burned down the forests and the humans (as well as some wemics ) settled the cleared plains.

During the Third Age of Calimshan, these plains were alternately known as the 'Lake Lands among the Mountains', or, more commonly, the 'Calishar Emirates', and were home to a rare few villages, hunting lodges and Calishite garrisons, populated by both native humans and immigrants from Calimshan.

During the time of the Shoon Imperium, three cities were founded in what was, at the time, called the 'Emirate of Amin' in the. The founding of Athkatla, Crimmor, and Murann prompted a huge emigration of Calishites to the region. Over a century later, halflings, forced from their homes in the Purple Hills by the Imperium, founded the nation of Meiritin in the in and around the Tejarn Hills. Another small nation, this one a theocracy named Minsorran, was founded on the shores of Lake Weng in the. A vassal state of the Imperium, the kingdom of Valashar, was founded in the, encompassing the lands west and north of Meiritin, but it only lasted fifteen years until an ill-advised war with Cormyr resulted in the displeasure of Qysara Shaani's court, who had King Ashar Tornamn of Valashar executed and his kingdom dissolved, absorbing the remains of the kingdom into the Empire. The city-state of Myth Lharast was then founded southeast of Minsorran in the after it's founders decided that they'd had enough of the orthodoxy of the pantheists of that realm, and desired a 'purer', monotheistic home dedicated solely to Selûne.

After the Imperium fell following it's war with Tethyr, the Emirate of Amin stood as a region full of small independent countries and city-states. Those still loyal to the Imperium migrated north and struggled amongst themselves and the already-established Shoonite garrisons in the region to try and carve out a new empire for themselves over the next decade. Despite the chaos resulting from the fall of the Imperium within it's own borders, Calimshan still managed to exert enough control over the Emirate to maintain it as a center of Calishite commerce.

Founding Time
The Shoon Imperium only had one general at the time of it's fall who was native to the Emirate of Amin and not a Calishite. This general was named Esmel Torlath. His was the most successful campaign of all the former Shoonites to rule over the region. Though General Torlath only managed to exert his rule over the western half of the Emirate, this meant that he controlled the biggest, and most well-established cities in the region - Athkatla, Crimmor, and Murann (though land trade between Crimmor and Murann was blocked by ogres in the Small Teeth Mountains). Setting himself up as King Esmel I, he named his kingdom Amn.

A noble family from Calimshan, looking to restore the Imperium to it's former glory, successfully took over the eastern Emirate of Amin, pushing out the majority of Meiritin's halflings and abusing those who remained. The rivalry between Amn and this eastern realm named Cortryn would last well over two centuries, resulting in the death of King Esmel's grandson and heir, as well as the complete dissolution of Meiritin. Otherwise, the next century was a period of great construction for Amn, seeing the establishment of Citadel Amnur, Esmeltaran, Keczulla, and Purskul.

The 7th century Dalereckoning saw the destruction of Minsorran, yet more conflicts with the ogres of the Small Teeth, and the expansion of Amn's borders. King Brinnaq I established Amn as a nation of powerful merchants and absorbed a lot of territory, including the purchase of a large swathe of Tethyr's northern lands. Unfortunately, after King Brinnaq died, his son-in-law Arbas, murdered every male relative of Brinnaq who was present in the nation at the time. Brinnaq's sixth son, Jhanos, who was a wizard, returned home and slew the usurper within the year. This began the rule of Amn's six Wizard-Kings. It was during the reign of Wizard-King Imnel III that Cortryn was destroyed, but it's destroyers, the Ring of Eyes - a beholder cult - prevented Amn from absorbing Cortryn's territories for the next twenty nine years until Amn finally took those lands as it's own in the.

It was during the reign of the last Wizard-King, Imnel IV, that a financially-struggling and monster-beset Amn had to return the majority of the lands that it had previously bought from Tethyr back to their original owners. Amn did however, manage to maintain control of the trading post of Riatavin, which had been built ninety years before and stood right on the border of the lands that the Imnel Concession ceded back to Tethyr. After Imnel IV's death four years later, Amn descended into strife as no less than three kings rose to and lost the throne over the course of 1094 and 1095 DR due to the deadly machinations of thieves guilds and merchant families.

A new dynasty of monarchs, descended from a different branch of Imnel I's line were installed to bring stability back to Amn. The Wavegold dynasty's legacy was the construction of the Trade Way between Tethyr and Waterdeep via Amn, Baldur's Gate, and Dragonspear Castle which was finished in the. The last of the Wavegold kings, Belhinn II, was killed in battle with the Black Horde in the.

King Belhinn's son-in-law, Malek Parhek, founded Amn's third and final royal dynasty. Plagued by poor leadership, a trade war, and multiple assassinations sponsored by Amnian merchant families, the Parhek dynasty failed to last even four decades. For the ensuing fifty seven years after the last Parhek king died in 1276 DR the merchants of Amn tried to install the scions of that dynasty as puppet kings, but none of them were successful. This culminated in the Great Amnian Trade War of 1333 DR, which resulted in the dissolution of Amn's monarchy and Thayze Selemchant establishing the Council of Six (with himself at it's head).