Battle of Dale
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| Battle of Dale | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Combatants | |||||||
| Men of Dale and Dwarves of Erebor | Easterlings | ||||||
| Commanders | |||||||
| Brand†, Dáin II Ironfoot†, Bard II and Thorin III Stonehelm | Unknown | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties | |||||||
| Deaths of Brand and Dáin II and unknown number of Men and Dwarves | All Easterlings died or fled | ||||||
| War of the Ring |
|---|
| 1st Fords of Isen - 2nd Fords of Isen - Isengard - Hornburg - Lothlórien - Mirkwood - Osgiliath - Pelennor Fields - Dale - Black Gate - Bywater |
The Battle of Dale is a fictional battle in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings during the War of the Ring. An earlier battle in the same location which re-established the Dwarven kingdom was called the Battle of Five Armies.
The Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain (also known as Erebor) and the Men of Dale refused to acknowledge the overlordship and alliance of Sauron. While his larger southern armies invaded Gondor, he sent an army north to extend his dominion to prevent the armies of his enemies joining together under one banner, which could have proved disastrous for Mordor.
On March 17th of the year 3019 in the Third Age, Sauron sent a large contingent of Easterlings to attack Dale. The combined forces of the Men of Dale under King Brand and the Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain under King Dáin Ironfoot marched out to meet the Easterlings in battle. Sauron's forces were probably more numerous, though the armies of Dale and Erebor would have possessed an advantage due to their superior Dwarven-made weaponry. After three days of heavy close-quarters fighting, with no quarter asked or given, they were forced to retreat to the Lonely Mountain.
A few sturdy warriors led by Brand and Dáin fought bravely before the Gate of Erebor, which was not taken. In the end, Dáin was killed as he stood defending the body of his ally Brand. Meanwhile, the defenders of the Mountain were able to withstand the siege.
However, to the misfortune of the Easterlings, the forces of Gondor and Rohan defeated the main power of Sauron in the southern theatre on March 25th, causing the northern army to lose heart. Seeing the morale of their foes being sapped by news of victory in the south, the Army of Dale under the new Kings — Bard II and Thorin III Stonehelm — managed to lift the siege on March 27 and drove the Easterlings out of Dale.
The battle was very important for the future of Middle-earth. Though it could not change the outcome of the War of the Ring, which was tied to fate of the One Ring, a victory of Sauron's forces could have nevertheless been very harmful. Sauron's Easterling armies would have been able to join up with Sauron's forces from Dol Guldur in their attacks on the woodland realm of Mirkwood. This would have enabled Mordor's armies to wreak havoc, possibly as far west as Eriador before the armies of the west defeated them.
The Battle of Dale would have further reduced the already low numbers of Dwarves and paved way for the dominion of Men in the Fourth Age.
Dale was rebuilt following the siege of the Lonely Mountain, and Thorin and Bard sent their ambassadors to King Elessar's coronation. Later, many dwarves were led south by Gimli, one of the companions of Aragorn in the War of the Ring. They colonised Aglarond, the glittering caves in Helm's Deep.
The battle was recounted in one of the appendices of The Return of the King.
