(being a synthetic account of the origins of the Princes, derived primarily from Unfinished Tales, with remarkably few diversions into the various traditions)
The first recorded use of the title Prince of Dol Amroth relates to the (un-named) Lord at the time of the meeting of Cirion and Eorl, as detailed in Part III of Unfinished Tales, pp288-320. A note to part of this tale states that the title of 'Prince' was granted to a family of Faithful settled in Belfalas, by Elendil, at the end of the Second Age and more than 2,000 years before the Meeting of Cirion and Eorl.
The name 'Dol Amroth' for the hill on which the tower of Tirith Aear stood is believed to relate to the legend that Amroth of Lorien drowned there in or around the year TA1981. Thus, if there were 'Princes' ruling this fiefdom before this date they cannot have been Princes 'of Dol Amroth'. It was certainly named 'for the last King of Lorien' as specifically stated in note 39, p316. I propose to use the name '*Ost-in-Earnil' (fortress of the Princes) for the earlier settlement, merely as a placeholder name to distinguish between the earlier and later (pre- and post-1981) settlement.
The possibility that Dol Amroth was so named before 1981 would rely on the story that Amroth was the son of Celeborn and Gladriel. In this case the visiting of Belfalas by Amroth, while Galadriel and Celeborn were resident there, might account for the name. However, for the reasons given in the first part of this article, I reject that strand of the histories.
In TA1944, Adrahil of Dol Amroth is listed as being a commander of the Gondorian army in the war against the Wainriders. This notice can be most easily reconciled with the naming of Dol Amroth after 1981 by assuming that Adrahil was not 'of Dol Amroth' in 1944, but 'of *Ost-in-Earnil', the gloss of 'of Dol Amroth' being added after the name change (ie, after 1981-2). This would imply that the history of the wars with the Wainriders were written or redacted more than 40 years after the events they describe.
In the Return of the King, it is hinted that Imrahil, Prince of Dol Amroth, has Elven ancestry, and legends are alluded to of Amroth and Nimrodel. There is a note to a genealogy of Imrahil that states that Imrahil's grandfather Angelimar is '20th in unboken descent from Galador, first Lord of Dol Amroth (c. TA 2004-2129)...' (Unfinished Tales, p248). Galador is reputed to be the son of Imrazor the Numenorean and Mithrellas, an Elf-maiden of Lorien.
It is possible to reconcile these accounts (except that of Amroth being the son of Galadriel and Celeborn) by positing that Adrahil, Prince of *Ost-in-Earnil in 1944, had a brother or cousin called Imrazor. Adrahil may have lived for a very long time; the Faithful did, long lifespans were common among the Gondorians at this time, and thus he could have easily survived after 1981, even until 2004.
Thus, the death of Amroth could have taken place during the reign of Adrahil. This might imply that the re-naming of the settlement from *Ost-in-Earnil to Dol Amroth could have taken place in those years also. We suspect that by 2004 and the accession of Galador that *Ost-in-Earnil had already become Dol Amroth. Indeed, there is little doubt that 'first Lord of Dol Amroth' can mean anything other than 'first Lord to rule during or after the change of name to Dol Amroth', if Galador is pre-dated by Imrahil by 60 years, and the title 'Prince' of the Faithful of Belfalas by some 2,000 years. It may be that the name only changed during Galador's reign; he may have taken the fiefdom in the name 'Lord of *Ost-in-Earnil' and become 'Lord of Dol Amroth' some time before his death in TA2129; either way, Galador is the first recorded to have ruled with the title 'Lord of Dol Amroth', if the notice of Adrahil's title is discounted as a later gloss.
The next 20 Lords of Dol Amroth, down to Imrahil's father Adrahil, are in 'unbroken succession'. This may imply that there was a 'broken succession' earlier. Or it may merely mean that previous Lords were 'of *Ost-in-Earnil' rather than 'of Dol Amroth'. If Adrahil (I) was the brother of Imrazor, and Adrahil was succeeded by his nephew (or perhaps the son of his cousin) Galdor, this may account for the notice of subsequent 'unbroken succession'.
This seeems to be the most coherent way to reconcile the statements made about the family of Imrahil, which cannot all be true; but this version requires only the rejection of Amroth as the son of Galadriel and Celeborn (already rejected on other grounds), and the assumption that the title 'of Dol Amroth' given to Adrahil in 1944 is a later gloss for 'of *Ost-in-Earnil'.
Of course, there is also a family tree of Adrahil in Vol XII of the Histories of Middle Earth; but I don't have access to that. Perhaps if and when I do I may have to revise my conclusions. This, then, is my provisional synthsis.
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