Gilneas initially stands apart from Lothar’s proposed alliance

Full History

King Genn Greymane initially refused Lothar's appeal for a united response to the orcish Horde. Gilneas expected to defend itself if necessary but was unwilling to commit fully to the northern coalition. The decision exposed the limits of solidarity among human kingdoms even after Stormwind had fallen.

From Gilneas, the threat could seem distant and the costs of supporting foreign rulers immediate. Lothar's plea asked kings to place troops, money, and sovereignty behind an alliance whose benefits might not be visible until the war reached their shores. Greymane's reluctance reflected the deep habit of independent kingdoms to judge dangers first by their own borders. It also forced Terenas and the Alliance's supporters to proceed without unquestioned support from every human throne.

The decision must be understood at the moment of the Alliance's formation rather than through later histories of Gilneas. At that point, the central fact is a ruler weighing an external threat against independent policy. His dissent sharpened the stakes of Terenas's diplomatic effort: the northern kingdoms would have to cooperate by choice, and some would resist even a warning carried by refugees from a destroyed kingdom.