The 7 Dwarf Realms - Belegost
Twinned with Nogrod, the dwarven kingdom was a minor player during the significant events of the First Age, but at the same time, it helped to make Beleriand great with its arts of arms.
The history of the kingdom of Belegost runs along the same temporal path as that of Nogrod, a neighboring kingdom with whom it shared the significant events of the First Age.
Located in the depths of Mount Dolmed, in the Blue Mountains, it was one of the 7 Dwarf Realms founded during the Age of Stars. Under that same mount was also the kingdom of Nogrod, an exceptional proximity that deeply marked the history of both domains.
Everything indicates that the Broadbeams clan founded Belegost, so they were not related to their neighbors. Its inhabitants were not associated with the People of Durin (Longbeards) but belonged to a different clan. Nor were they part of the Firebeards, who lived in Nogrod.
As expected, among the dwarves of Belegost were the best stone carvers and blacksmiths in Middle-earth. They were the first to forge them. Their primary market was the elven kingdoms of Beleriand, with whom they constantly traded weapons and chain mail.
The Sindar elves were the main clients with whom they traded, and their relationship with them was much better than with the dwarves of Nogrod, with whom tensions constantly arose because they belonged to different clans. Belegost’s friendship with the Elves could have improved relations too.
It was the dwarves of Belegost who carved the stone chambers of Menegroth, the capital of the kingdom of Doriath, the kingdom with whom they had the best diplomatic relations. King Thingol presented them with the Nimphelos jewel in gratitude for their services.
Little is known about the history of Belegost during the First Age, although they had very well-known and praiseworthy moments. During that time and under the rule of their lord, Azaghâi, they gained great fame by participating in some battles of the War of the Jewels.
In the Nírnaeth Arnoediad, the dwarves of Belegost were the only warriors of the Maedhros Union army, also made up of Elves and Men, who could resist the dragon attacks. That was possible because, given their blacksmith nature, they were used to high temperatures, and their helmets were specialized to withstand the heat.
Thanks to this excellent resistance, the Dwarves played a crucial role in the battle. So much so that Azaghâi, although he ended up dying, was able to seriously wound Glaurung, the Father of Dragons, causing the rest of the winged creatures to flee the battlefield scared back to Angband.
Years passed again without anything worth telling about happening in Belegost until a delegation from Nogrod visited them. They came with the intention that Belegost should help Nogrod in his war against Doriath. The dwarves of Belegost rejected the proposal and even tried to convince their neighbors to desist from such dismal intentions.
With the end of the First Age, the dwarves of Belegost suffered the same fate as all the inhabitants of Beleriand. At the end of the War of Wrath, their kingdom was ruined, and although the foundations held and part of the Blue Mountains did not collapse with the rest of Beleriand, around the year 40 of the Second Age, the Broadbeams began to migrate to Khazad-dûm.
Gradually the kingdom of Belegost emptied, but some must have remained, for, during the Third Age, dwarves still lived on the plains north and west of the mouth of the Lhûn River. Some even claimed that a few brave dwarves still inhabited the once glorious kingdom of Belegost.