Legends of Warcraft #17: the Seven Kingdoms

July 9, 2026•Lore•Brendo Arruda

"Legends of Warcraft" series — Legends #17. The prehistory of Warcraft in order, from the creation of the universe to the last Guardian of Tirisfal. The episodes are listed in order at the end of the post.

The seven human kingdoms of Warcraft were born from the division of Arathor. Over time, the families and cities that had come out of Strom took on lives of their own, and the empire became seven kingdoms: Lordaeron, Stromgarde, Gilneas, Kul Tiras, Alterac, Dalaran and Azeroth, the kingdom of Stormwind. They are the ones who face the orcs in the First and Second Wars.

How Arathor split apart

After the Troll Wars, Arathor grew and spread out. Noble families left to found cities in other regions, and the mages had already gone north to found Dalaran. Each new city had its own interests, and it became hard to rule everything from Strom.

Little by little, those cities became independent kingdoms. They all saw themselves as heirs of Arathor, but each one went its own way.

The seven kingdoms

| Kingdom | Where | Ruling family | What it becomes | |-------|------|------------------|------------| | Lordaeron | North of the Eastern Kingdoms | Menethil | The largest human kingdom. It falls to the Scourge and becomes Undercity | | Stromgarde | Arathi Highlands | Trollbane | Direct heir of Strom, weakened after the Second War | | Gilneas | Peninsula south of Silverpine | Greymane | Shuts itself behind a wall and is struck by the worgen curse | | Kul Tiras | Islands to the west | Proudmoore | The greatest human naval power, home of Jaina | | Alterac | Alterac Mountains | Perenolde | Betrays the Alliance in the Second War and is dissolved | | Dalaran | Lordaeron, near Lordamere Lake | Kirin Tor | The city of the mages | | Azeroth | South, in Elwynn | Wrynn | The kingdom of Stormwind, the first to fall to the orcs |

Lordaeron and the Church of the Light

Lordaeron became the richest and most powerful kingdom, and it was there that faith in the Holy Light developed. The Church of the Light grew in the capital and, much later, gave rise to the paladins of the Silver Hand.

Azeroth, the kingdom that named the world

The southernmost kingdom was called Azeroth, the same name that later came to refer to the whole planet. Its capital was Stormwind, in the forests of Elwynn. It was there that the Dark Portal opened, in the Black Morass, and it was there that the Horde arrived first, in the First War.

Kul Tiras and Gilneas

Kul Tiras was always a kingdom of the sea, with the largest human fleet and a strong pride in its own independence. Gilneas was a rich and proud kingdom that, after the Second War, built a giant wall and cut itself off from the world, which later helped hide the worgen curse.

The kingdoms against the orcs

When the Horde came through the Dark Portal, the kingdom of Azeroth was the first to fall. The survivors of Stormwind fled to Lordaeron, and King Terenas Menethil united the other human kingdoms in the Alliance of Lordaeron, with the dwarves, the gnomes and the elves.

The Alliance won the Second War, but it did not last. Disputes over money and over the orc internment camps made Gilneas and Stromgarde leave, and Alterac had already betrayed the others. When the Scourge arrived, the kingdoms were divided.

Who's who in this episode

| Name | Who it is | |------|--------| | House Menethil | The royal family of Lordaeron, of Terenas and Arthas. | | House Wrynn | The royal family of Stormwind, of Llane, Varian and Anduin. | | House Proudmoore | The family of Kul Tiras, of Admiral Daelin and Jaina. | | House Greymane | The royal family of Gilneas, of Genn Greymane. | | House Trollbane | The family of Stromgarde, direct heir of Strom. | | House Perenolde | The family of Alterac, which betrayed the Alliance in the Second War. |

Where to see it in WotLK

Stormwind and Elwynn Forest: the capital of the old kingdom of Azeroth, rebuilt.
Tirisfal Glades and Undercity: the ruins of the capital of Lordaeron.
Arathi Highlands: Stromgarde, the city that inherited Strom.
Alterac Mountains: the ruins of the kingdom of Alterac and of Dalaran.
Silverpine Forest: the Greymane Wall, which seals off Gilneas in WotLK.
Theramore: the Kul Tiran colony founded by Jaina.