Editing Gondor (section)

=== Fictional history ===

{{anchor|Paths of the Dead}}

==== Pre-Númenórean ====

The [[first people]] in the region were the [[Drúedain]], a hunter-gatherer group of [[Man (Middle-earth)|Men]] who arrive in the [[First Age]]. They were pushed aside by later settlers and came to live in the pine-woods of the Druadan Forest<ref name="Ride of the Rohirrim" group=T/> by the north-eastern [[White Mountains (Middle-earth)|White Mountains]].<ref name="Many Partings" group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1955}} book 6 ch. 6 "Many Partings"</ref> 
The next people settled in the [[White Mountains (Middle-earth)|White Mountains]], and became known as the Men of the Mountains. They built a subterranean complex at Dunharrow, later known as the Paths of the Dead, which extended through the mountain-range from north to south.<ref name="Last Debate" group=T/> They became subject to [[Sauron]] in the Dark Years.  Fragments of pre-Númenórean languages survive in later ages in place-names such as ''Erech'', ''Arnach'', and ''Umbar''.<ref group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1955}} Appendix F part 1</ref>

====Númenórean kingdom====
{{further|Númenor}}
{{anchor|Osgiliath}}{{anchor|Nimloth the fair}}{{anchor|Anárion}}

The shorelands of Gondor were widely colonized by the [[Númenóreans]] from the middle of the [[Second Age]], especially by Elf-friends loyal to [[Elendil]].<ref name="OtRoP" group=T>{{Harvnb|Tolkien|1977}} "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age"</ref> His sons [[Isildur]] and Anárion landed in Gondor after the drowning of Númenor, and co-founded the Kingdom of Gondor. Isildur brought with him a seedling of Nimloth (Sindarin: ''nim'', "white" and ''loth'', "blossom"<ref name="Foster 1978 p186">ref>{{cite book |last=Foster |first=Robert |title=The Complete Guide to Middle-earth |year=1978 |publisher=[[Ballantine Books]] |isbn=978-0-345-44976-4 |page=186}}</ref>) the Fair, the white tree from Númenor. This tree and its descendants came to be called the White Tree of Gondor, and appears on the kingdom's [[coat of arms]].  Elendil, who founded the Kingdom of Arnor to the north, was held to be the [[High King]] of all the lands of the [[Dúnedain]].<ref name="AppA" group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1955}} Appendix A, I (iv)</ref> Isildur established the city of [[Minas Morgul|Minas Ithil]] (Sindarin: "Tower of the Moon") while Anárion established the city of Minas Anor (Sindarin: "Tower of the Sun").<ref name="AppA" group=T/>

Sauron survived the destruction of Númenor and secretly returned to his realm of Mordor, soon launching a war against the Númenórean kingdoms. He captured Minas Ithil, but Isildur escaped by ship to Arnor; meanwhile, Anárion was able to defend Osgiliath.<ref name="OtRoP" group=T/> Elendil and the [[Elf (Middle-earth)|Elven]]-king [[Gil-galad]] formed the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, and together with Isildur and Anárion, they besieged and defeated Mordor.<ref name="OtRoP" group=T/> Sauron was overthrown; but the [[One Ring]] that Isildur took from him was not destroyed, and thus Sauron continued to exist.<ref name="Gladden Fields" group=T/>

Both Elendil and Anárion were killed in the war, so Isildur conferred rule of Gondor upon Anárion's son Meneldil, retaining [[suzerainty]] over Gondor as High King of the Dúnedain. Isildur and his three elder sons were ambushed and killed by [[Orc (Middle-earth)|Orcs]] in the Gladden Fields. Isildur's remaining son Valandil did not attempt to claim his father's place as Gondor's monarch; the kingdom was ruled solely by Meneldil and his descendants until their line died out.<ref name="Gladden Fields" group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1980}} part 3 ch. 1 "Disaster of the Gladden Fields"</ref>

==== Third Age, under the Stewards ====
{{anchor|Umbar|Stewards|Plague|Great Plague}}

[[File:Flag of the Stewards of Gondor.svg|thumb|upright|Seal of the Stewards of Gondor{{efn|The seal of the stewards consisted of the three letters: R.ND.R (standing for ''Arandur'', king's servant), surmounted by three stars.<ref name="Seal of the Stewards" group=T/>}}]]

[[File:2ndMarquessOfHamilton.jpg|thumb|upright=0.6|[[James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Hamilton]] holding the white staff of the Lord Steward of the King's Household, Scotland. Portrait by unknown artist after [[Daniël Mijtens]], 1622]]

During the early years of the [[Third Age]], Gondor was victorious and wealthy, and kept a careful watch on Mordor, but the peace ended with Easterling invasions.<ref name="AppB" group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1955}} Appendix B "The Third Age"</ref> Gondor established a powerful navy and captured the southern port of Umbar from the [[Black Númenóreans]],<ref name="AppB" group=T/> becoming rich.<ref name="AppA" group=T/>

{{anchor|Great Plague}}
As time went by, Gondor neglected the watch on [[Mordor]]. A civil war gave Umbar the opportunity to declare independence.<ref name="AppB" group=T/> The kings of [[Harad]] grew stronger, leading to fighting in the south.<ref name="PM-HE" group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1996}} ch. 7 "The Heirs of Elendil"</ref> With a Great [[Plague (disease)|Plague]]<!--of the year 1636--> the population began a steep decline.<ref name="AppB" group=T/> The capital was moved from Osgiliath to the less affected Minas Anor, and evil creatures returned to the mountains bordering Mordor. There was war with the Wainriders, a confederation of Easterling tribes, and Gondor lost its line of kings.<ref name="UT-CE1" group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1980}} part 3 ch. 2 "Cirion and Eorl", (i)</ref> The [[Ringwraiths]] captured and occupied Minas Ithil<ref name="OtRoP" group=T/> which became [[Minas Morgul]], "the Tower of Black Sorcery".<ref name="Steward and the King" group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1955}} book 5 ch. 8 "The Houses of Healing"; book 6 ch. 5 "The Steward and the King"</ref><ref name="OtRoP" group=T/><ref name="AppA" group=T/> At this time Minas Anor was renamed to Minas Tirith, in constant watch of its now defiled twin city.

{{anchor|Ithilien}}
Without kings, Gondor was ruled by Stewards for many generations, father to son; despite their exercise of power and hereditary status, they were never accepted as Kings, nor did they sit on the high throne.<ref name="TT-WW" group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1954}} book 4, ch. 5 "The Window on the West"</ref> The badge of office of the Stewards is a white rod.<ref name="Minas Tirith" group=T/><ref name="EB lord high steward">{{cite web |title=lord high steward: English honorific office |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/lord-high-steward |publisher=Britannica |access-date=27 May 2025 |quote=On ceremonial occasions he carries a white staff}}</ref>

Faramir reports that Boromir as a boy had asked his father Denethor how many centuries it would take for a steward to become a king. Denethor replied "Few years, maybe, in other places of less royalty. In Gondor ten thousand years would not suffice."<ref name="TT-WW" group=T/> Shippey reads this as a reproach to [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]]'s ''[[Macbeth]]'', noting that in Scotland, and [[Lord Steward|in Britain]], a [[House of Stuart|Stewart/Steward]] like [[James I of England]] (James VI of Scotland) could metamorphose into a king.{{sfn|Shippey|2005|p=206}} 

After attacks by evil forces, the province of Ithilien<ref name="Minas Tirith" group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1955}} book 5 ch. 1 "Minas Tirith"</ref> and the city of Osgiliath were abandoned.<ref name="AppA" group=T/><ref name="AppB" group=T/> Late in the Third Age, the forces of Gondor, led by [[Aragorn]] (under the alias Thorongil) attacked Umbar and destroyed the Corsair fleet, allowing Ecthelion II to devote his attention to Mordor.<ref name="Seal of the Stewards" group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1980}} part 3 ch. 2 "Cirion and Eorl", note 25</ref>{{sfn|Straubhaar|2007|pp=248–249}}<!--in Drout--><ref name="AppB" group=T/>

==== War of the Ring and restoration ====

{{anchor|Henneth Annûn}}{{anchor|Dol Amroth}}

{{further|Battle of the Pelennor Fields|Heraldry of Middle-earth#Men}}

Denethor sent his son [[Boromir]] to [[Rivendell]] for advice as war loomed. There, Boromir attended the [[Council of Elrond]], saw the [[One Ring]], and suggested it be used as a weapon to save Gondor. Elrond rebuked him, explaining the danger of such use, and instead, the hobbit [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] was made ring-bearer, and a [[Fellowship of the Ring (characters)|Fellowship]], including Boromir, was sent on a quest to destroy the Ring.<ref name="Council of Elrond" group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1954a}} book 2 ch. 2 "[[The Council of Elrond]]"</ref> 
Growing in strength, [[Sauron]] attacked Osgiliath, forcing the defenders to leave, destroying the last bridge across the Anduin behind them. [[Minas Tirith]] then faced direct land attack from [[Mordor]], combined with naval attack by the Corsairs of Umbar. The [[hobbit]]s Frodo and [[Samwise Gamgee|Sam]] travelled through Ithilien, and were captured by [[Faramir]], Boromir's brother, who held them at the hidden cave of Henneth Annûn, but helped them to continue their quest.<ref name="TT-WW" group=T/> [[Aragorn]] summoned the Dead of Dunharrow to destroy the forces from [[Umbar]], freeing men from the southern provinces of Gondor such as Dol Amroth<ref name="Minas Tirith" group=T/><ref name="UT-AN" group=T/> to come to the aid of Minas Tirith.

[[File:Battle of the Pelennor Fields.svg|thumb|left|upright=1.25|[[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]]]]

During the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]], the Great Gate was breached by [[Sauron]]'s forces led by the [[Witch-king of Angmar]]. He spoke "words of power" as the [[battering ram]] named [[Middle-earth weapons and armour#Grond|Grond]] attacked the Great Gate; it burst asunder as if "stricken by some blasting spell", with "a flash of searing lightning, and the doors tumbled in riven fragments to the ground".<ref name="Siege of Gondor" group=T/> The Witch-king rode through the Gate where [[Gandalf]] awaited him, but left shortly afterwards to meet the Riders of Rohan in battle. Gondor, with the support of [[Rohirrim]] as cavalry, repelled the invasion by Mordor. Following the death of [[Denethor]] and the incapacity of Faramir, Prince Imrahil became the effective lord of Gondor.<ref name="O'Connor 2017">{{cite journal |last=O'Connor |first=David |year=2017 |title=For What May We Hope? An Appreciation of Peter Simpson's Political Illiberalism |journal=The American Journal of Jurisprudence |volume=62 |issue=1 |pages=111–117 |doi=10.1093/ajj/aux014 |url=https://scholar.valpo.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1075&context=journaloftolkienresearch|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

When Imrahil declined to send the entirety of Gondor's army against Mordor, Aragorn led a smaller army to the [[Black Gate (Middle-earth)|Black Gate]] of Mordor to distract Sauron from Frodo's quest.<ref name="O'Connor 2017"/> Sauron encircled the army at the [[Battle of the Morannon]], but the hobbits succeeded, defeating Sauron and bringing the war and the Third Age to an end. The Great Gate was rebuilt with ''[[mithril]]'' and steel by [[Gimli (Middle-earth)|Gimli]] and Dwarves from the [[Lonely Mountain]]. Aragorn's coronation was held on the Gateway, where he was pronounced King Elessar of both Gondor and Arnor, the sister kingdom in the north.<ref name="AppAII" group=T>{{harvnb|Tolkien|1955}} Appendix A, II</ref><ref name="PM-HE" group=T/><ref name="PM Tale of Years and the Third Age" group=T>{{Harvnb|Tolkien|1996}} ch. 8 "The Tale of Years of the Third Age"</ref><ref group=T>{{harvnb|Carpenter|2023|loc=#256 to Colin Bailey 13 March 1964, #338 to Father Douglas Carter, 6? June 1972 }}</ref>{{-}}