List of kings of Gondor

Last updated

This is a list of the ruling kings of Gondor, one of the realms in Middle-earth in the fantasy works of J. R. R. Tolkien.

Gondor fictional kingdom by J.R.R. Tolkien

Gondor is a fictional kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings, described as the greatest realm of Men in the west of Middle-earth by the end of the Third Age. The third volume of The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, is largely concerned with the events in Gondor during the War of the Ring and with the restoration of the realm afterward. The history of the kingdom is outlined in the appendices of the book.

Middle-earth is the fictional setting of much of British writer J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. The term is equivalent to the term Midgard of Norse mythology, describing the human-inhabited world, that is, the central continent of the Earth in Tolkien's imagined mythological past.

J. R. R. Tolkien British philologist and author, creator of classic fantasy works

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was an English writer, poet, philologist, and academic, who is best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.

Contents

History

The kings of Gondor claimed descent through Amandil from the Lords of Andúnië, and from there to Silmariën and the Kings of Númenor. The line of Kings began with Elendil, who fled the downfall of Númenor with his sons Isildur and Anárion and established the twin realms-in-exile of Arnor and Gondor. [1] For several hundred years after its foundation, Gondor was ruled by the High-King of both Arnor and Gondor, but after Isildur's death early in the Third Age, the connection between the two kingdoms was severed and Gondor was ruled independently of Arnor.

Amandil is a fictional character from J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. Amandil was a Lord of Andúnië, succeeding his father Númendil upon his death. Amandil is most noted for being the father of Elendil, founder of the Númenórean Realms in Exile.

Elendil is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He appears in The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales.

Númenor fictional island in the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, located west of Middle-earth

Númenor, also called Elenna-nórë or Westernesse, is a fictional place in English author J. R. R. Tolkien's writings. It was a large island located in the Sundering Seas to the west of Middle-earth, the main setting of Tolkien's writings, and was known to be the greatest civilization of Men. However many of the inhabitants ceased to worship the One God, Eru Ilúvatar, and ultimately rebelled against the Valar, resulting in the destruction of the island and death of the majority of its population. Tolkien had intended Númenor to be an allusion to the legendary Atlantis.

The Line of Kings in Gondor continued through the descendants of Anárion for over two thousand years. Several calamities befell the house, such as the civil war of the Kin-Strife from T.A.  1432 to 1447 and the death of the King and his close family in the Great Plague of T.A. 1636. [2] In addition, through inter-marriage over several generations the Númenorean blood of the Kings of Gondor was mingled with that of lesser men of Middle-Earth.

After King Ondoher and his two sons were slain in battle with the Wainriders, Arvedui (heir of the North Kingdom) claimed the throne of Gondor. [3] Arvedui's claim rested on his descent from Isildur and his marriage to Fíriel, the only surviving child of Ondoher. His claim was rejected by Gondor, who elected instead Eärnil II, a male descendant of Telumehtar and victor over the Wainriders.

Arnor fictional country

Arnor is a fictional kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings. Arnor, or the North-kingdom, was a realm of the Dúnedain in the region of Eriador in Middle Earth. Arnor was founded near the end of the Second Age (S.A. 3320) by Elendil, whose sons Isildur and Anárion founded Gondor at the same time. The history of the two kingdoms is intertwined; both kingdoms are known as the Realms of the Dúnedain in Exile.

Arvedui is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, who was the last King of Arnor before its destruction.

The line of Kings finally came to an end in T.A. 2050 when the last King of Gondor, Eärnur son of Eärnil II, disappeared after riding to answer the challenges of the Witch-King in Minas Morgul. [4] In the absence of the king, Gondor was ruled first by the Steward Mardil, and thereafter by the Line of the Stewards until the return of King Aragorn II.

The Witch-king of Angmar, also known as the Lord of the Nazgûl and the Black Captain, is a character in Tolkien's legendarium. In J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, he is the chief of the Nazgûl or "Ringwraiths", the chief servants of the Dark Lord, Sauron. His name is not revealed in any of Tolkien's writings, nor are the names of any of the other Nazgûl except Khamûl.

Minas Morgul fictional fortified city in J. R. R. Tolkiens Middle-earth

Minas Morgul also known by its earlier name of Minas Ithil is a fictional fortified city in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth.

In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Mardil Voronwë was the first Ruling Steward of Gondor.

Kings of Gondor

Each king was a son of the previous king, unless otherwise indicated.

  1. Elendil , son of Amandil. He reigned titularly as High King from S.A.  3320–3441. [5] His sons Isildur and Anárion were the co-rulers of Gondor itself (until Anárion's death in S.A. 3440.)
  2. Isildur officially ruled Gondor from S.A. 3441–T.A.  2
  3. Meneldil fourth child and son of Anárion, born S.A 3318, reigned T.A. 2–158. Meneldil was the last person born in Númenor before its destruction. [6]
  4. Cemendur b. S.A 3399 r. T.A. 158–238
  5. Eärendil b. T.A. 48 r. 238–324
  6. Anardil b. 136 r. 324–411
  7. Ostoher b. 222 r. 411–492. In 420 he rebuilt Minas Anor as his summer residence, and during his reign the Easterlings started to attack Gondor.
  8. Rómendacil I (Tarostar) b. 310 r. 491–541. As crown prince, he rode against the Easterlings and defeated them (thus, his regnal name means "victorious in the East"). Later the Easterlings invaded once again, and he rode to meet them in battle but was slain.
  9. Turambar b. 397 r. 541–667. Avenged the death of his father by conquering large parts of Rhovanion from the Easterlings.
  10. Atanatar I b. 480 r. 667–748
  11. Siriondil b. 570 r. 748–840
  12. Tarannon Falastur b. 654 r. 840–913. First of the Ship-kings, died childless. Began a policy of exploration and expansion which greatly increased the power of Gondor. His Queen-consort was the notorious Berúthiel, whom Tarannon was forced to send into exile.
  13. Eärnil I b. 736 r. 913–936. Nephew of Tarannon. Second of the Ship-kings. He captured Umbar for Gondor, but was lost in a storm off its coast.
  14. Ciryandil b. 820 r. 936–1015. Third of the Ship-kings. Died in the defence of Umbar against the Haradrim and Black Númenóreans.
  15. Hyarmendacil I (Ciryaher) b. 899 r. 1015–1149. Last of the Ship-kings. He took a great army to avenge his father's death and conquered the southern lands of the Harad (his regnal name means "victorious in the South"). During his reign Gondor reached the height of its power and extended from the Misty Mountains south to Umbar and from the Great Sea east to the Sea of Rhûn.
  16. Atanatar II Alcarin b. 977 r. 1149–1226. From this point Gondor began a long decline in power and prestige, which was not halted until the reign of Elessar Telcontar at the beginning of the Fourth Age.
  17. Narmacil I b. 1058 r. 1226–1294. Second childless King. He soon tired of being a king and in III 1240, after just fourteen years on the throne, he turned over the rule of Gondor to his nephew Minalcar, who ruled as Regent through the rest of Narmacil's titular Kingship.
  18. Calmacil b. 1058 r. 1294–1304. Younger brother of Narmacil. The actual power of the realm during his reign was wielded by his tireless son and regent Minalcar.
  19. Minalcar was crowned as Rómendacil II, born 1126, Prince-regent 1240–1304, King 1304–1366. Under his reign (c.1240) were carved the pillars of Argonath.
  20. Valacar b. 1194 r. 1366–1432. In 1250 he was sent as ambassador to the kingdom of Rhovanion, and there married its princess Vidumavi. After living there many years he returned to Gondor, where he became crown prince in 1304. His reign as King saw increasing unrest, developing into rebellion in the coastal provinces.
  21. Vinitharya, [7] crowned as Eldacar, born 1255, reigned 1432–1437. Deposed and driven into exile in Rhovanion by his distant relative, Castamir.
  22. Castamir, born 1259, usurped the throne during the Kin-strife in 1437, killed in 1447
  23. Eldacar restored, r. 1447–1490
  24. Aldamir b. 1330 r. 1490–1540. His reign was marked with constant warfare with the Corsairs of Umbar.
  25. Hyarmendacil II (Vinyarion) b. 1391 r. 1540–1621. In 1551 he accomplished an astounding victory over the Haradrim.
  26. Minardil b. 1454 r. 1621–1634. Slain at Pelargir by the Corsairs of Umbar
  27. Telemnar b. 1516 r. 1634–1636. Died in the Great Plague with all his children.
  28. Tarondor b. 1577 r. 1636–1798. Nephew of Telemnar; the longest-reigning King of Gondor. In T.A. 1640 he removed the capital from Osgiliath to Minas Anor.
  29. Telumehtar Umbardacil b. 1632 r. 1798–1850
  30. Narmacil II b. 1684 r. 1850–1856
  31. Calimehtar b. 1736 r. 1856–1936. In T.A. 1900 he built the White Tower in Minas Anor.
  32. Ondoher b. 1787 r. 1936–1944. [8] Died in battle, together with his two sons.

(interregnum 1944 - 1945)

  1. Eärnil II b. 1883 r. 1945–2043. Was given the crown after a year of rule by the Steward Pelendur. A descendant of Telumehtar Umbardacil.
  2. Eärnur b. 1928 r. 2043–2050 (presumed death). Last King of Gondor.

(interregnum 2050 - 3019; see Stewards of Gondor)

  1. Elessar (Aragorn) b. 2931 r. T.A. 3019 - F.A. 120, was the first king of the Reunited Kingdom. He was a descendant of Ondoher's daughter, and a direct descendant of Isildur.
  2. Eldarion r. F.A. 120 – ?

Adaptations

In Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring , both Elendil and his son Isildur are shown in the opening prologue depicting the War of the Last Alliance. Aragorn II is portrayed by Viggo Mortensen in all three of the trilogy's films. The film adaptation calls Isildur the Last King of Gondor, while in Tolkien's works the line ended much later with Eärnur, who disappeared in TA 2050.

Peter Jackson New Zealand film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter

Sir Peter Robert Jackson is a New Zealand film director, screenwriter, and film producer. He is best known as the director, writer, and producer of the Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–03) and the Hobbit trilogy (2012–14), both of which are adapted from the novels of the same name by J. R. R. Tolkien. Other films include the critically lauded drama Heavenly Creatures (1994), the mockumentary film Forgotten Silver (1995), the horror comedy The Frighteners (1996), the epic monster remake film King Kong (2005), the supernatural drama film The Lovely Bones (2009), and the World War I documentary film They Shall Not Grow Old (2018). He produced District 9 (2009), The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (2011), West of Memphis (2012), and Mortal Engines (2018).

<i>The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring</i> 2001 film directed by Peter Jackson

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is a 2001 epic fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson, based on the first volume of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. The film is the first instalment in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and was produced by Barrie M. Osborne, Jackson, Fran Walsh and Tim Sanders, and written by Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Jackson. The film features an ensemble cast including Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee and Hugo Weaving, Sean Bean, Ian Holm and Andy Serkis. It was followed by The Two Towers (2002) and The Return of the King (2003).

Isildur is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He appears in the author's books The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales.

The Lord of the Rings Online features a few of the Kings of Gondor as non-player characters. Aragorn appears at many in-game locations either as a leader of the Dúnedain rangers or as a member of the Fellowship of the Ring before his crowning as king, and players can interact with him for many different story line quests. Other Kings of Gondor who appear include Isildur in a session instance where the player temporarily controls a soldier of Gondor near the end of the Second Age, and Eärnur, who appears during the Epic Story-line and group instance play as a wraith under the influence of the Witch-king called Mordirith.

Games Workshop produces miniatures of Aragorn, Elendil, and Isildur for The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game. [9]

Aragorn appears in both of The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth real-time strategy games. King Eärnur makes a brief campaign appearance during The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II: The Rise of the Witch-king expansion pack.

See also

Related Research Articles

In J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fiction, such as The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the terms Man and Men refer to humankind – in contrast to Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, and other humanoid races – and does not denote gender. Hobbits were a branch of the lineage of Men.

Anárion is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. His name is derived from Anar, which means "Sun" in Tolkien's invented language of Quenya. He was the son of Elendil and the brother of Isildur, and with them established the Realms in Exile in Middle-earth after the downfall of Númenor.

Pelendur is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, appearing The Return of the King.

Stewards of Gondor rulers from J. R. R. Tolkiens legendarium of Middle-earth

According to J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium of Middle-earth, the Stewards of Gondor – also styled the Lords of Minas Tirith – were lords of the fictional kingdom of Gondor, who resided in Minas Tirith, the capital city. The Steward was appointed by the King, and could act on behalf of the King when the King was absent from the city or incapacitated.

This article includes several chronologies relating to J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium.

The Reunited Kingdom of Arnor and Gondor is a fictional realm from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth.

In J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, Malbeth the Seer was a sage of Arthedain who was remembered for two prophecies.

In the literary works of J. R. R. Tolkien the House of Anárion was the Royal House of Gondor, descended from Anárion, joint first King of Gondor with his elder brother Isildur who went north to Arnor. When the last King of Gondor died without an heir, the Stewards of the House of Húrin ruled in their stead for the next 969 years until the House of Elendil successfully reclaimed the Throne after the War of the Ring.

In the literary works of J. R. R. Tolkien, the House of Isildur was the Royal House of Arnor, Arthedain, Cardolan, Rhudaur and, much later, Gondor. The house was descended from Isildur, elder son and heir of Elendil the Faithful. Although the North-Kingdom was ended in the year 1975 of the Third Age, the House of Isildur was maintained as the Chieftains of the Dúnedain, the wandering folk that the Dúnedain of Arnor became, until the time of Aragorn II and the War of the Ring, after which, Aragorn claimed the Crown of Gondor as the direct descendant of Elendil. After Aragorn, the House of Isildur became the House of Telcontar and ruled the Reunited Kingdom for generations.

It was the pride and wonder of the Northern Line that, though their power departed and their people dwindled, through all the many generations the succession was unbroken from father to son. ... But in Aragorn the dignity of the kings of old was restored

In J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, the High Kings of Arnor and Gondor were the Kings of all Dúnedain in Middle-earth after the Downfall of Númenor. Elendil was the leader of the Elendili who survived the Downfall. He claimed the title of High King.

J. R. R. Tolkien adopted the term Northmen in his fiction; his "Northmen" were Men that lived in northern Wilderland in Middle-earth, and were friendly to Gondor.

In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the Dúnedain were a race of Men descended from the Númenóreans who survived the sinking of their island kingdom and came to Eriador in Middle-earth, led by Elendil and his sons, Isildur and Anárion. They are also called the Men of the West and the Men of Westernesse. They settled mainly in Arnor and Gondor.

Aragorn II, son of Arathorn is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He is one of the main protagonists of The Lord of the Rings. Aragorn was a Ranger of the North, first introduced with the name Strider at Bree, as the Hobbits continued to call him throughout The Lord of the Rings. He was eventually revealed to be the heir of Isildur and rightful claimant to the thrones of Arnor and Gondor. He was also a confidant of Gandalf and an integral part of the quest to destroy the One Ring and defeat the Dark Lord Sauron.

References

  1. ↑ Tolkien, J.R.R. (2005). The Lord of the Rings 50th Anniversary Edition. Harper Collins. p. 1037. ISBN   0-261-10325-3.
  2. ↑ Tolkien, J.R.R. (2005). The Lord of the Rings 50th Anniversary Edition. Harper Collins. p. 1086. ISBN   0-261-10325-3.
  3. ↑ Tolkien, J.R.R. (2005). The Lord of the Rings 50th Anniversary Edition. Harper Collins. p. 1049. ISBN   0-261-10325-3.
  4. ↑ Tolkien, J.R.R. (2005). The Lord of the Rings 50th Anniversary Edition. Harper Collins. p. 1087. ISBN   0-261-10325-3.
  5. ↑ Tolkien, J.R.R. (2005). The Lord of the Rings 50th Anniversary Edition. Harper Collins. p. 1038. ISBN   0-261-10325-3.
  6. ↑ J. R. R. Tolkien (1996), The Peoples of Middle-earth , Houghton Mifflin, part 1 ch. VII p. 191; ISBN   0-395-82760-4
  7. ↑ According to Jordanes' Getica , there was a Gothic king "Vinitharius" who conquered the Wends.
  8. ↑ The name appears to be taken from the legendary Burgundian king Gundaharius (the Quenya root ondo, meaning "stone", corresponds to Sindarin gond or gonn).
  9. ↑ "Aragorn (Black Gate)". Games Workshop. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.