Archenland
From WikiNarnia, the Narnian Encyclopedia
Archenland, officially the Kingdom of Archenland, was a mountainous country to the south of its close ally, the Kingdom of Narnia; both of these kingdoms were independent nations within the Narnian Empire. It was bordered on the north by a continental divide and on the south by the Winding Arrow river, and includes the Southern March. The seat of government is at Anvard, in the heart of the country. Anvard is both the capital city and the name of the castle within the city. Archenland appears to be very sparsely populated, with no other known towns or villages.
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[edit] Events
In The Magician's Nephew, it is said that the second son of King Frank V became the first king of Archenland. Aslan himself had decreed Archenland's existence before King Frank I took the throne. Archenland was believed to be under Narnian rule until the year 180. In this year King Col (former Prince Col of Narnia) lead the first human inhabitants into Archenland, separating it from Narnian rule 1.
During the rule of Jadis (900-1000), during the Age of Winter it is uncertain what exactly Archenland did. The people of Archenland knew of the witch, but obviously did not end up stopping the witch if they had tried. It is believed that the population of humans in Archenland was completely unknown to Narnia at the time.
At the year 1014, Archenland is closely in alliance with Narnia, as shown in The Horse and His Boy. Though Archenland was believed to be sparsely populated, the country of Narnia was still the main inhabitation of talking animals. During this year Prince Rabadash of Calormen unsuccessfully attempted to conquer Archenland and Narnia, stopped by King Edmund, Queen Lucy of Narnia and Prince Cor of Archenland. It is possible that the Rulers of Archenland may have ruled Narnia after the Golden Age, and before the Telmarine conquest.
Archenland still existed at the time of 2555, during the events of The Last Battle. Archenland was destroyed by Aslan, along with the rest of the Narnian world.
[edit] Castle of Anvard
The Castle of Anvard, also Castle Anvard was the capital of Archenland at the year 1014. It was a moatless castle where King Lune resided, made of red-brown stones and sitting on a green lawn in front of a high woody ridge. The castle lay in the Anvard Pass, and was the only place of population mentioned in the Chronicles.
[edit] Kings of Archenland
The known kings of Archenland follow:
King Col (son of Frank V of Narnia) ruled 180- Unknown
King Lune c.1000?- After 1014
King Cor, son of Lune, married to Aravis ruled After 1014- c.1050
King Ram the Great, son of Cor and Aravis ruled from 1050
King Nain ruled during 2303
[edit] Trivia
Since Archenland was never ruled by the Telmarines, and Archenland still existed during the events of The Last Battle, it would seem that the kings of Archenland can trace their lineage right back to King Frank I of Narnia.
[edit] Sources
[1] The Land of Narnia: Brian Sibley Explores the World of C.S. Lewis; Collins Publishing Group; 1989
