King's Men

The King's Men was a faction in Númenor opposed to the Faithful. They were hostile to the Elves and the will of the Valar, proud and haughty men who saw Númenor as above the other realms of Arda, and envious of the immortality of the Elves.

The King's Men were responsible for setting up Umbar as a port city aligned against the "Low Men" of Middle-earth, and extracted tribute from the Haradrim and ammassed great wealth.

Sauron's influence gave seed to rebellion, and the King's Men sought to defy the will of the Valar. King Ar-Pharazôn led ships west to attack Valinor, and in retaliation, the Valar sunk all his vessels and brought about the Downfall of Númenor, the island swallowed entire by the great ocean.

Although most of the King's Men thus perished, those in the port cities of Middle-earth survived. Since they no longer had a King, they renamed themselves as the Black Númenóreans.