When Hammerfell became a province of the Second Empire and demarcated in the Imperial custom, Redguard society was formally divided into two main socio-political groups: the
Crowns and the
Forebears.
[1] The Crowns are descended from the High King and the Na-Totambu who ruled in Yokuda; they hold Yokudan tradition in high reverence and greatly dislike foreigners.
[1] Their influence has been waning since the last High King perished in
2E 862 and his son, the Crown Prince
A'tor, reacted by viciously butchering the Forebear citizenry.
[1] When Tiber Septim's forces conquered the land two years later, it was perceived as a humanitarian gesture to stop the senseless bloodshed.
[1] While the intervention did cease open war, the hostility between the various regions of the province remains so great that some have been known to ignore their brethren when they're trying to repulse a foreign invasion.
[5]
The Forebears are descended from the Ra Gada warrior class which conquered the province, and in so doing were exposed to many Nedic (and later Breton and Imperial) traditions and ideas, while the ancestors of the Crowns were not.
[1] The Forebears seek modernity; they are more cosmopolitan than their Crown counterparts and more welcoming of the Empire and its way of life.
[1] They have adopted modified Imperial and Breton styles for their dress, architecture, and
names, and many have even reorganized their traditional gods and spirits to fit into the Imperial pantheon of the
Divines.
[1] Forebears are generally predominant in coastal cities and other major trade centers, while most Crowns live in more secluded regions, notably the deserts and other inhospitable areas.