'Realms in Exile' was the collective name for the kingdoms, Arnor and Gondor, established by the Dunedain in Middle-earth after they escaped the Downfall of Númenor. For much of the Third Age, they were the dominant powers in the north-west of Middle-earth, and had an enduring political, economic and cultural significance. Initially politically united, they soon became separate kingdoms, but retained much of their common culture, and later entered into an alliance. Arnor broke apart into petty kingdoms, the last of which fell in TA 1974. Gondor survived and, though becoming ever weaker, it remained the most powerful state among the so-called "Free Peoples". After the War of the Ring, Gondor and the former territories of Arnor were merged into the Reunited Kingdom.