War of the Dwarves and Orcs

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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

After their home under Erebor had been sacked by the dragon Smaug, many of the Dwarves of Durin's Folk were 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.[1] 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.

Thrór fell into despair after living many years in poverty, or perhaps the Ring he wore was ultimately working towards his bearers evil. Whatever the case, he decided to leave his people in T.A. 2790 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 found and slain by Azog the Orc-chieftain who had ruled in Moria, and after a few days Thrór's head had been 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 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 Dwarf host was ready, and set departed for war; assailing and sacking one by one all the Orc-holds they could find from Mount Gundabad in the north, to the Gladden in the south.

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

The Final Battle

The war came to a climax 2799 (Probably the January or February), 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.[3]

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.

Aftermath

The war was very costly for the Dwarves. near 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".

The Orcs suffered irreparable damage to their numbers by war's end. 10,000 alone were killed in the Dimrill Dale, and It seem highly likely that at least that many were killed throughout the previous five 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. As a result of such losses, the Orcs of the Misty Mountains virtually disappeared as a threat for 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. 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.

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.

Noteable Veterans

See Also

References

Preceded by:
Long Winter
Major events of Middle-earth
T.A. 2793 - T.A. 2799
Followed by:
Fell Winter