Emblem of the Pelargirean League
Traditionally, citizenship in the Pelargirean League was reserved for those of pure Númenórean blood. For a long time this did not become a matter of contention because the numbers of the Faithful were steadily being replenished by new arrivals from Númenor. Moreover, because the community of the Faithful was not subject to royal tribute (with the single exception of Ar-Pharazôn's reign), even the lack of citizenship did not incur any disadvantages severe enough to become a source of conflict. In lieu of the imposition of royal taxation, the financial burden of sustaining the colonies of the league was assumed by the citizens of the leading houses. This differed from direct taxation because munificence and patronage reaped a more than satisfactory returns in form of prestige and influence.
This situation began to change after the destruction of Númenor, and especially after the War of the Last Alliance, as the number of lineages were sharply diminished. Even then, however, the Covenant of Uinen (which embraced all members of the Faithful community, including its Danan Lin subjects) softened the social cleavages that were beginning to divide the populace, since the enjoyment of Uinen's grace did not depend on blood.
Nevertheless, the elite citizenry began to take advantage of their exclusive status, monopolizing power at the expense of their countrymen. As the number of eligible citizens decreased during the first five centuries, the citizenry found themselves increasingly less able to shoulder the burden of public finance and government. In order to maintain the communities under these circumstances, the Pelargirean League passed new laws authorizing the citizen-leadership to extract taxes and other forms of tribute from its non-citizen members.
This innovation, along with other new laws which continually narrowed the definition of citizenship, provoked a violent reaction from the commoners, especially those who had lost their political rights as a result of these constrictions. Within the span of a few short years, the whole of the league was in turmoil. Pure-blooded Dúnedain, feeling increasingly isolated from both commoners and their non-citizen brethren, began to look over Gondor's borders for new allies. The aristocracy soon found out that they had more things common with their foreign cousins than their own kin, and many began to espouse a pan-Númenorean movement of union between all the estranged children of Westernesse. Númenórean aristocracies of Arnor, Gondor, Umbar and Bellakar leaned on each other to maintain their hold on their subjects. The common men and disenfranchised Dúnedain of Gondor, however, turned to their spiritual and juridical arbitrator to find a suitable solution to their plight: the King.