I shan't call it the end, till we've cleared up the mess.
Who told you, and who sent you?
| T.A. 1974 | |
| Fall of Fornost | |
|---|---|
| Conflict | Angmar conflict |
| Place | Fornost Erain |
| Outcome | Decisive Angmar victory |
| Combatants | |
Men, Elves, Hobbits Angmar | |
| Commanders | |
The Fall of Fornost was an event that resulted from the defeat of the forces of Arnor, and the taking of their capital city of Fornost Erain by the Witch-king of Angmar and his armies.
History
Prelude
By T.A. 1974, the Dúnedain of Arnor were on the brink of ruin. The Great Plague three hundred years previously had killed most of the people of Cardolan, which later fell to the Witch-king. Even with the aid of Elves and Hobbits, most of the diminished and totally demoralized people of Arnor were waiting to make their final stand at Fornost, capital city of Arthedain.[1]
Opposing Forces
For the forces of Eriador, exact numbers are not known. It can be estimated that, at most, ten thousand Men of Arnor were present at the city, along with possibly several thousand Elves of Lindon, Rivendell, Lothlórien, and five hundred Hobbits archers from the Shire.
The forces of Angmar can be estimated as between forty and sixty thousand Orcs, Trolls, Evil Men, Wolves, and all other manner of evil creatures.
The Battle
Not much is known of the battle, and it is simply stated that the Witch-king overran Fornost and the King was driven into the North Downs. The Witch-king's forces occupied Fornost and pillaged it.
Aftermath
With Arthedain in his hands, the Witch-king had conquered all of Arnor. Arvedui perished in the Icebay of Forochel when a ship sent to rescue him sank in a storm. The Witch-king took the throne in the king's palace, until a year later in T.A. 1975 when the forces of Eriador had regrouped with newly arrived reinforcements from Gondor. In the Battle of Fornost, his army was destroyed, and he himself fled east over the Misty Mountains.[1]
Fornost was not resettled after the war. It became a deserted place, feared by the men of Bree, who called it Deadmen's Dike. It was not until a thousand years later after the War of the Ring under King Elessar was it refounded.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "Later Events Concerning the Members of the Fellowship of the Ring"