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{{War
| previous=[[War of the Dwarves and Dragons]]
| next=[[War of the Ring]]
| name=War of the Dwarves and Orcs
| image=[[Image:Mikel Janin - Battle of Azanulbizar.jpeg|300px]]
| begin={{TA|2793}}
| end={{TA|2799}}
| place=The northern [[Misty Mountains]] and [[Mount Gundabad]]
| result=Crippling defeat for Orcs, pyrrhic victory for Dwarves
| battles=[[Sacking of Mount Gundabad]], various battles in mines, strongholds, and colonies, [[Battle of Azanulbizar]].
|side1=Dwarves of all Seven Houses, [[Longbeards]], [[Firebeards]], [[Broadbeams]], [[Blacklocks]], [[Stonefoots]], [[Ironfists]], and [[Stiffbeards]].
|side2=[[Orcs of the Misty Mountains]]
|commanders1=King [[Thráin II]], [[Thorin]], [[Náin (son of Grór)|Náin]], various generals and/or kings or lords of the other houses
|commanders2=[[Azog]] and likely other Orc-chieftains
|}}
The '''War of the Dwarves and Orcs''' was a great war fought between the two races.
The '''War of the Dwarves and Orcs''' was a great war fought between the two races.


The War began when the elderly exiled [[Dwarves|Dwarven]] King [[Thrór]], heir of [[Durin]], wandered alone into [[Moria]] and was murdered by [[Azog]] the [[Orcs|Orc]] in 2790 of the [[Third Age]].
==History==
=== Prelude ===
In {{TA|2770}} [[Lonely Mountain|Erebor]] was [[Sack of Erebor|sacked]] by the [[Dragons|Dragon]] [[Smaug]].<ref name="TA">{{App|TA}}</ref>. Many of the [[Dwarves]] of [[Durin's Folk]] were rendered homeless and wandered through western [[Middle-earth]], trying to make as best a living they could. After some years of wandering they settled down in [[Dunland]].<ref name="Durin">{{App|Durin}}</ref>  Among these Dwarves were [[Thrór]], formerly the [[King under the Mountain]] now King of Durin's folk in exile, his son [[Thráin II]] and grandson [[Thorin II]] who became later known as Thorin Oakenshield.<ref>{{H|Party}}</ref>


From 2790 to 2793 the ''Longbeards'' that were [[Durin's folk]] responded to this insult by gathering their forces, calling on all the other houses of the Dwarves. In 2793 they attacked, sacking one by one all the Orc-holds of the [[Misty Mountains]] from [[Mount Gundabad]] in the north to the peak of [[Methedras]] in the south.  
Thrór fell into despair after living many years in poverty, or perhaps the [[Rings of Power|Ring]] he wore was ultimately working evil upon its bearer.<ref name="Durin"/> Whatever the case, he decided to leave his people in {{TA|2790|n}}<ref name="TA"/> to seek out and look upon the ancestral halls of [[Moria|Khazad-dûm]]. Accompanied by his friend [[Nár (companion of Thrór)|Nár]], they crossed the [[Redhorn Pass]] and came down to the [[East-gate of Moria]] where the Thrór took it upon himself to enter alone, despite the warnings of Nár who stayed behind in the dale.  


Most of the war was fought underground, in the great mines and tunnels of the Misty Mountains, where Dwarves excel in combat, and as such they went unaided by the other Free Peoples. The war climaxed in 2799, when a final battle was fought in the valley outside the eastern gates of Moria, the [[Battle of Nanduhirion]]. The Dwarves finally won this notoriously bloody encounter when reinforcements arrived late on the scene from the [[Iron Hills]].
Thrór was caught and slain by [[Azog]] the [[Orc]]-chieftain who had ruled in Moria, and after a few days Thrór's head was branded with Azog's name and the corpse was thrown out of the gate where it was found by Nár. He was left alive to serve as a messenger to the Dwarves that Azog now claimed to be the King of Moria, and to stay away.


After the battle, [[Thráin II]] son of Thrór wanted to enter Moria and reclaim it, but the Dwarves not of Durin's folk refused, saying they had honoured Durin's memory by fighting, and this was enough. Durin's folk on their own could not muster a force strong enough to enter Khazad-dûm. Probably the Dwarves also feared [[Durin's Bane]] was still present.
When Nár returned to the king's son Thráin, he told him of his father's murder and the Orc's warning. For seven days without eating or sleeping the new king sat, until he stood and cried "This cannot be borne!"<ref name="Durin"/>


The war was very costly for the Dwarf race, as nearly half of those involved were killed. Náin son of Grór, Frerin second son of Thráin II, and Fundin son of Farin, the father of [[Balin (Middle-earth)|Balin]] were among the more noted casualties. Thráin II himself lost an eye, and Thorin was wounded when his shield broke and he had to use an oak branch to defend himself. This probably led to his later name [[Thorin Oakenshield]].
From 2790 to {{TA|2793|n}}<ref name="TA"/> the [[Longbeards]] responded to this tragedy by gathering an army, and calling on all the other six Houses of the Dwarves for war.


During the conflict many Orcs fleeing south through [[Rohan]], trying to claim a refuge in the [[White Mountains (Middle-earth)|White Mountains]] beyond, troubled the Rohirrim for two generations.
=== Early Stages===
In 2793 the Dwarven host was ready, and departed for war; assailing and sacking all the Orc-holds they could find from [[Mount Gundabad]] in the north, to the [[Gladden River|Gladden]] in the south one by one.  


Other effects of the war were that the Orcs of the Misty Mountains virtually disappeared as a threat for [[Eriador]] and [[Wilderland]]: the [[goblins]] of the High Pass near [[Rivendell]] were some of the few survivors.
Little is actually known about the six year-long war, however it is known that most of the it was fought underground, in the great mines and tunnels of the Misty Mountains, where Dwarves excelled in combat.<ref name="Durin"/>


150 years later the Orcs of the North still had not fully recovered, but their population was further reduced during the [[Battle of Five Armies]] in 2941, where [[Bolg]] son of Azog tried to avenge his father.
=== The Final Battle ===
The war came to a climax in {{TA|2799|n}}<ref name="TA"/> when the final battle was fought in the Dimrill Dale below the East-gate of [[Moria]], the [[Battle of Azanulbizar|Battle of Azanûlbizar]]. The Dwarves gained victory in this notoriously bloody encounter when reinforcements arrived late on the scene from the [[Iron Hills]]. Azog was slain by [[Dáin Ironfoot]].


It is probable that without this War and the final slaughter of the Battle of Nanduhirion, the later [[War of the Ring]] would have been lost in the north, and the [[Ring-bearer]] might never have made it south to [[Mordor]].  
In its aftermath, King Thráin wanted to enter reclaim the city, but the Dwarves not of Durin's folk refused, saying that the city was not their Fathers' House; they had honored Thrór's memory by fighting and that was enough. [[Dáin Ironfoot]] also warned the king that [[Durin's Bane]] still dwelt within Khazad-dûm.<ref name="Durin"/>


[[Category:Battles|Dwarves and Orcs]]
===Aftermath===
The war was very costly for the Dwarves: Nearly half of those involved in the final battle were killed and with a possibility of a couple thousand more being killed throughout the rest of the war. [[Náin (son of Grór)|Náin]], [[Frerin]], and [[Fundin]] were among the more notable casualties. Thráin II himself lost an eye and gained a limp, and Thorin was wounded when his shield broke and he had to use an oak branch to defend himself-hence the epithet "[[Oakenshield]]".<ref name="Durin"/>
 
The Orcs suffered irreparable damage to their numbers by war's end. Ten thousand alone were killed in the Dimrill Dale, and it seem highly likely that at least that many were killed throughout the previous six years of the war.
Those that survived the final battle (as many as 10,000 or so) fled south through [[Rohan]], seeking refuge in the [[White Mountains]] beyond, where they troubled the [[Rohirrim]] for two generations.<ref>{{App|Stewards}}</ref> In {{TA|2851}}<ref name="TA"/> King [[Walda]] was slain with all his companions by Orcs near [[Dunharrow]].  His son [[Folca]] hunted down and eliminated the last Orc-hold in the White Mountains.<ref>{{App|Mark}}, ''Second Line''</ref>
 
As a result of such losses, the [[Orcs of the Misty Mountains]] virtually disappeared as a threat to [[Eriador]] and  [[Rhovanion|Wilderland]]. One and a half centuries later the Orcs of the North were recovering, but their numbers were permanently depleted to severely low levels in the aftermath of the [[Battle of Five Armies]] in {{TA|2941|n}}.<ref name="TA"/> It was here that [[Bolg]] son of Azog tried to avenge his father and the [[Great Goblin]], but in his failure three fourths of his people were killed.<ref>{{H|Return}}</ref>
 
The repercussions of the War of the Dwarves and Orcs likely even had an impact on the very outcome of the [[War of the Ring]].
 
==Notable Dwarven Participants==
*[[Thráin II]] - Lost one eye and wounded in the leg
*[[Thorin]] - Wounded
*[[Frerin]] - Killed
*[[Fundin]] - Killed
*[[Náin (son of Grór)|Náin]] - Killed
*[[Dáin Ironfoot]] - Slew Azog
*[[Balin]]
*[[Glóin]]
 
== See Also ==
*[[Battle of Azanulbizar]]
*[[Second Sacking of Gundabad]]
 
{{references}}
{{seq-start}}
{{seq
| prev=[[Long Winter]]
| list=Major events of [[Middle-earth]]
| dates={{TA|2793}} - {{TA|2799}}
| next=[[Fell Winter (Third Age)|Fell Winter]]
}}
{{seq-end}}
[[Category:Conflicts of the Third Age]]
[[Category:Wars]]
[[fr:encyclo/evenements/3a/guerres/guerre_des_nains_et_des_orques]]
[[fi:Kääpiöiden ja örkkien sota]]

Revision as of 18:28, 22 June 2014

Previous war: War of the Dwarves and Dragons
Next war: War of the Ring
War of the Dwarves and Orcs
Mikel Janin - Battle of Azanulbizar.jpeg
Beginning: T.A. 2793End: T.A. 2799
Place: The northern Misty Mountains and Mount Gundabad
Outcome: Crippling defeat for Orcs, pyrrhic victory for Dwarves
Major battles: Sacking of Mount Gundabad, various battles in mines, strongholds, and colonies, Battle of Azanulbizar.
Combatants

Dwarves of all Seven Houses, Longbeards, Firebeards, Broadbeams, Blacklocks, Stonefoots, Ironfists, and Stiffbeards.

Orcs of the Misty Mountains

Commanders

King Thráin II, Thorin, Náin, various generals and/or kings or lords of the other houses

Azog and likely other Orc-chieftains

The War of the Dwarves and Orcs was a great war fought between the two races.

History

Prelude

In T.A. 2770 Erebor was sacked by the Dragon Smaug.[1]. Many of the Dwarves of Durin's Folk were rendered homeless and wandered through western Middle-earth, trying to make as best a living they could. After some years of wandering they settled down in Dunland.[2] Among these Dwarves were Thrór, formerly the King under the Mountain now King of Durin's folk in exile, his son Thráin II and grandson Thorin II who became later known as Thorin Oakenshield.[3]

Thrór fell into despair after living many years in poverty, or perhaps the Ring he wore was ultimately working evil upon its bearer.[2] Whatever the case, he decided to leave his people in 2790[1] to seek out and look upon the ancestral halls of Khazad-dûm. Accompanied by his friend Nár, they crossed the Redhorn Pass and came down to the East-gate of Moria where the Thrór took it upon himself to enter alone, despite the warnings of Nár who stayed behind in the dale.

Thrór was caught and slain by Azog the Orc-chieftain who had ruled in Moria, and after a few days Thrór's head was branded with Azog's name and the corpse was thrown out of the gate where it was found by Nár. He was left alive to serve as a messenger to the Dwarves that Azog now claimed to be the King of Moria, and to stay away.

When Nár returned to the king's son Thráin, he told him of his father's murder and the Orc's warning. For seven days without eating or sleeping the new king sat, until he stood and cried "This cannot be borne!"[2]

From 2790 to 2793[1] the Longbeards responded to this tragedy by gathering an army, and calling on all the other six Houses of the Dwarves for war.

Early Stages

In 2793 the Dwarven host was ready, and departed for war; assailing and sacking all the Orc-holds they could find from Mount Gundabad in the north, to the Gladden in the south one by one.

Little is actually known about the six year-long war, however it is known that most of the it was fought underground, in the great mines and tunnels of the Misty Mountains, where Dwarves excelled in combat.[2]

The Final Battle

The war came to a climax in 2799[1] when the final battle was fought in the Dimrill Dale below the East-gate of Moria, the Battle of Azanûlbizar. The Dwarves gained victory in this notoriously bloody encounter when reinforcements arrived late on the scene from the Iron Hills. Azog was slain by Dáin Ironfoot.

In its aftermath, King Thráin wanted to enter reclaim the city, but the Dwarves not of Durin's folk refused, saying that the city was not their Fathers' House; they had honored Thrór's memory by fighting and that was enough. Dáin Ironfoot also warned the king that Durin's Bane still dwelt within Khazad-dûm.[2]

Aftermath

The war was very costly for the Dwarves: Nearly half of those involved in the final battle were killed and with a possibility of a couple thousand more being killed throughout the rest of the war. Náin, Frerin, and Fundin were among the more notable casualties. Thráin II himself lost an eye and gained a limp, and Thorin was wounded when his shield broke and he had to use an oak branch to defend himself-hence the epithet "Oakenshield".[2]

The Orcs suffered irreparable damage to their numbers by war's end. Ten thousand alone were killed in the Dimrill Dale, and it seem highly likely that at least that many were killed throughout the previous six years of the war. Those that survived the final battle (as many as 10,000 or so) fled south through Rohan, seeking refuge in the White Mountains beyond, where they troubled the Rohirrim for two generations.[4] In T.A. 2851[1] King Walda was slain with all his companions by Orcs near Dunharrow. His son Folca hunted down and eliminated the last Orc-hold in the White Mountains.[5]

As a result of such losses, the Orcs of the Misty Mountains virtually disappeared as a threat to Eriador and Wilderland. One and a half centuries later the Orcs of the North were recovering, but their numbers were permanently depleted to severely low levels in the aftermath of the Battle of Five Armies in 2941.[1] It was here that Bolg son of Azog tried to avenge his father and the Great Goblin, but in his failure three fourths of his people were killed.[6]

The repercussions of the War of the Dwarves and Orcs likely even had an impact on the very outcome of the War of the Ring.

Notable Dwarven Participants

See Also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Third Age"
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "Durin's Folk"
  3. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, "An Unexpected Party"
  4. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "Gondor and the Heirs of Anárion", "The Stewards"
  5. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The House of Eorl", "The Kings of the Mark", Second Line
  6. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, "The Return Journey"
Preceded by:
Long Winter		Major events of Middle-earth
T.A. 2793 - T.A. 2799		Followed by:
Fell Winter


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