...It is a long tale...
| 15 April T.A. 2510 | |
| Battle of the Field of Celebrant | |
|---|---|
| Conflict | Wainrider/Balchoth War |
| Place | Field of Celebrant |
| Outcome | Victory for Gondor, Éothéod |
| Combatants | |
Gondor, Éothéod Balchoth | |
| Commanders | |
| Strength | |
Gondorian: unknown. Éothéod: seven-thousand "fully-armed riders" and several hundred horsed archers[1] Unknown | |
| Casualties | |
Unknown Near total destruction | |
The Battle of the Field of Celebrant was a battle in the late Third Age.
Prelude
In the year 2510 of the Third Age, the fierce Easterlings known as the Balchoth waged open war against a weakened Gondor, and had already overrun most of Wilderland. Gondor had no allies left east of Anduin, and against hope had sent the Red Arrow north to the Éothéod, ancient allies of Gondor, but they had received no reply.
In 2510 the Balchoth crossed Anduin on numerous fords, passing into the Wold in the north of the Gondorian province of Calenardhon. They met little resistance as Calenardhon had been mostly abandoned long before, and by the time the Northern Army of Gondor appeared from the fortresses of Isengard, Aglarond and other fortresses in the White Mountains the bulk of the Balchoth army had crossed.
The Battle
The North Army led by the Ruling Steward Cirion counter-attacked, and was driven into the Wold, cut off from the later reinforcements by the Balchoth host. By the time the Southern Army appeared, the North Army had come under attack by an Orc band from the Misty Mountains which by chance or design had descended from the mountains, and the Dúnedain were backed against the river in a hopeless situation.
At this time the Éothéod under their leader Eorl the Young suddenly appeared, unexpected by friend or foe, as they were belatedly responding to a previous request by Cirion. The Éothéod crossed the Anduin at the Undeeps of the river, and broke on the rearguard of the Balchoth. The Balchoth were completely defeated and the Gondorian armies saved. The Éothéod continued their foray into northern Gondor, scattering and destroying all the Balchoth in Calenardhon.
Aftermath
Three months after the Battle the Steward of Gondor Cirion gave the Éothéod the entire land of Calenardhon in which to dwell, in return for their service. The Éothéod founded the Kingdom of Rohan there.