Ul'dah

The sultanate of Ul'dah has its roots in the nation of Belah'dia that held Thanalan until a war of succession tore it apart in 969 of the Sixth Era. The twin rulers founded their own nations, Ul'dah and Galdin, which engaged in a bloody conflict known as the War of the Sister. Galdin was ultimately destroyed in 1181 when an alchemical powder transformed its armies into the undead. Ul'dah has held dominion of Thanalan ever since.
Shortly after the war, the reigning Sasagan Ul Sisigan III was ousted in favor of Baldurf Thorne, ending the reign of the first Ul dynasty and beginning the lost Thorne Dynasty of Ul'dahian sultans. After the Thornes abdicated in 1355, the second Ul Dynasty came to power. The True power in Ul'dah soon fell to the merchant class, which had grown powerful. In an attempt to keep the merchants loyal to the throne, the sultanate created the Syndicate, but it soon came to hold more power in the city-state than the throne.
The untimely demise of sultan Sasabal Ul Sisibal and his wife Nanasha Ul Nasha in 1561 caused their daughter Nonofe Ul Nofe to ascend the throne at the age of five. The Syndicate officiated over all for a long time until she won the loyalty of the Ala Mhigan gladiator Titus Drautos, who used his winnings in the coliseum to buy his freedom and a seat on the Syndicate. He created the Ul'dahian Grand Company, the Flames, to both combat the Empire and place power in the hands of the royal house.
While Halflings and Dwarves make up the majority of Ul'dah's citizens by a small margin, the city-state also contains a sizeable population of Humans with small but notable populations of Half-Orcs and elves. The populations of refugees from Ala Mhigo and the Seventh Calamity may have shifted these demographics somewhat. Despite the efforts of the Flames, the Lizardmen have entrenched themselves in southern Thanalan.