About three thousand years ago humans came to the continent of Khorvaire. For the first one thousand years they spread westward dispatching goblinoids to claim they continent for themselves. Eventually, five human settlements were founded. For the next five hundred years the five human settlements grew and fought with one another and the goblinoids for superiority.

Two thousand years ago Karrn the Conqueror established the first human nation. He was a cruel man  who believed that he was destined to rule over Khorvaire. He build a giant army and began a campaign  to lay claim to the whole of Khorvaire. He destroyed one of the five nations; but, before he could complete his conquest, the three remaining nations stood together to rebuff his advance.

Before Karrn died he fathered Galifar who assumed leadership of his fathers nation. He believed that his father had the right idea, the five nations should be one; but, that his father had handled the situation wrong. So, Galifar set out to conquer the five nations in a diplomatic way. While he did not succeed completely by a diplomatic means, he was able to eventually either by force of arms or a diplomatic solution to convince the other nations to lay down arms and join him.

Once he was the king of the five nations he set is children, whom he believed to be wise and juditious, to be rulers one over each of the five nations. Galifar then established that the eldest living child, when he passed away, would then become king after him.

This rule continued until about one hundred years ago, when the decendents of Galifar decide that they would not allow the eldest child to be the king. Thus started the "hundred year war".