Ship-Kings was a title given to four of the Kings of Gondor, who ruled in succession, and brought the kingdom of Gondor to its most prosperous point.

The four Ship-kings expanded the realm of Gondor, through their naval exploration and the might of their armies, and increased the country's power and strength. During their reigns, Gondor's boundaries were stretched west of the mouths of the River Anduin, and far into the south to Umbar and the Harad.

The Ship-Kings were as follows:
Tarannon Falastur
Eärnil I
Ciryandil
Hyarmendacil I

At the end of the rule of Hyarmendacil I, Gondor was at the peak of its power, and it never again quite gained that position.
Encyclopedia entry originally written by atalante_star