List of Kings of Rohan
This is a list of kings of Rohan from the fictional universe of Middle-earth by J. R. R. Tolkien. All of the Kings were of the same dynasty, the House of Eorl, divided into separate Lines whenever a king, having no surviving son, was succeeded by his sister's son.
All dates are in the Third Age, except where noted.
Regnal dates
Kings of Rohan
- Eorl: Called 'the Young', lord of the Éothéod (T.A. 2501–2510) and King of Rohan (2510–2545). He was the founder of the House of Eorl. Eorl, son of Léod, was the ruler of the Northmen tribe of the Éothéod, who dwelt between the Langwell and Greylin rivers. One of the most renowned aspects of his reign was his unexpected arrival in the perilous Battle of the Field of Celebrant where he came to the aid of Gondor. He may be regarded as the true hero of this battle, and as such was granted lands in Calenardhon by Cirion, Steward of Gondor. He led the migration of his people to these great pastures and there he became the first King of Rohan. He then swore the Oath of Eorl to Cirion. The Oath was sworn by Eorl on behalf of his people and heirs that if Gondor was attacked the Rohirrim were bound to come to its aid under pain of falling into shadow and becoming an accursed people. In return the Steward Cirion granted the province of Calenardhon to the Éothéod to form the Kingdom of Rohan, and the borders of that kingdom were established. The Agreement did however stipulate that Gondor had to come to Rohan's aid, although this was not sworn upon by the Steward. When Gondor needed Rohan's aid the Red Arrow (which means danger) was dispatched from Minas Tirith. This arrow was brought to King Théoden of Rohan by a messenger of Gondor in The Return of the King while Minas Tirith was besieged by Sauron. For faster communication between the two allies, the warning beacons of Gondor were used. These beacons were placed on seven hills along the northern ridge of the White Mountains. Eorl established his new capital at Aldburg in the Folde. He was called the Young because his reign started when he was just sixteen, and he retained his youthful appearance throughout his reign. The Rohirrim call themselves the Eorlingas, the Sons of Eorl. He died in battle in the Wold against the Easterlings.
- Brego: The second King of Rohan. Brego became King at the death of his father Eorl the Young in 2545. During his rule the migration of the Éothéod to Calenardhon continued, and Brego defended the borders of Rohan against their enemies (the Dunlendings and Easterlings). Brego built the Golden Hall of Meduseld, and made Edoras the capital of Rohan. His eldest son Baldor in his pride went into the Paths of the Dead never to be found again, and Brego died of grief soon after. He was followed by his second son, Aldor. Brego had a third son named Éofor. Éofor was an ancestor of Éomund of Eastfold father of Éomer.
- Aldor: The third King of Rohan, and its longest reigning monarch. Aldor was the second son of King Brego. His elder brother Baldor was lost while attempting to pass the Paths of the Dead, so Aldor became king when his father died, in 2570, at the age of 26. His long rule was a golden age for Rohan, as the numbers of the Rohirrim increased, and the Dunlendings were chased past the Gap of Rohan beyond the borders of Adorn and Isen. He also established Dunharrow as a refuge. Aldor had many children, of which the three eldest were daughters. He ruled for 75 years, and became known as Aldor the Old. He died in T.A. 2645, at the age of 102, a year after the birth of his first great-great-grandson. He was succeeded by his fourth child, Fréa, who had to wait until he was himself seventy-five years old before he became Lord of the Mark.
- Fréa: The fourth King of Rohan. Fréa became King at the death of his father Aldor the Old in 2645, aged already 75. He was the fourth child of Aldor, and had three older sisters. He ruled for just 14 years before he died and was followed by his son Fréawine.
- Fréawine: The fifth King of Rohan. Fréawine became King at the death of his father Fréa in 2659, aged already 65. He was born during the rule of his grandfather Aldor the Old, and was 51 and a grandfather himself when Aldor died and the crown passed to his father. Fréawine ruled for 21 years until his death in 2680 when he died at 86. He was succeeded by his son, Goldwine.
- Goldwine: The sixth King of Rohan. Goldwine became King at the death of his father Fréawine in 2680, when he was 61 years old. He was born during the rule of his great-grandfather Aldor the Old, and was aged 26, already a father, when Aldor finally died and the crown passed to his grandfather. Goldwine ruled during the "Golden Age" of Rohan and was very wealthy. During his rule the guard of Rohan's borders lessened, and the Dunlendings which Aldor had driven out began to slowly return to northern Rohan. Goldwine died in 2699 after a rule of nineteen years. He was followed by his son Déor.
- Déor: The seventh King of Rohan. He was born during the rule of his great-great-grandfather Aldor the Old, leading to an extraordinary situation of five generations living simultaneously in one house. He became King at the death of his father Goldwine in 2699. During Déor's realm the Dunlendings began to cause trouble again; they had slowly returned to Rohan under Goldwine's reign, after Aldor had driven them out long before. Déor rode north to fight them, but he learned that the Gondorian fortress of Isengard had fallen under Dunlendish rule. Isengard was impregnable, so Déor had to accept for the time being a northern threat to his realm. Déor died in 2718 after a troublesome rule of nineteen years, and was followed by his son Gram.
- Gram: The eighth King of Rohan. Gram became King at the death of his father Déor in 2718. His reign was one of war with the Dunlendings, who continued to raid Rohan from the fortress of Isengard which they controlled. Gram died in 2741 after 23 years of open war, and was followed by his son Helm Hammerhand.
- Helm Hammerhand: The ninth King of Rohan and last King of the first line. He became King at the death of his father Gram, during a time of crisis. His father had already fought open warfare with the Dunlendings, who operated from the captured fortress of Isengard, and Helm froze to death on a night raid during a war with the Dunlendings. Helm was succeeded by his nephew Fréaláf Hildeson, who became the first king of the second line.
- Fréaláf Hildeson: The tenth King of Rohan, and the first King of the second line. Fréaláf was the nephew of Helm Hammerhand. He became king after Helm was killed in the siege of the Hornburg in T.A. 2759. Fréaláf led a daring raid that recaptured Edoras, and managed to reclaim it. He eventually drove the Dunlendings back across the rivers Isen and Adorn, freeing all of Rohan. At his coronation the Wizard Saruman suddenly appeared after years of absence. Saruman offered Fréaláf his support and friendship. On Fréaláf's advice, Beren the Steward of Gondor lent Saruman the keys to Orthanc, giving him Isengard to dwell in on the condition that he must protect it from another conquest by the Dunlendings. He ruled for 39 years, and was succeeded by his son Brytta Léofa at his death in 2798.
- Brytta: The eleventh King of Rohan. Brytta was the son of Fréaláf Hildeson, and became king after the death of his father in 2798. During his reign Rohan was still recovering from the war with the Dunlendings, and hostilities remained at the western borders. Brytta continued his father's habits of helping those in need, earning him the name Léofa, "Beloved", in the Rohirric tongue. Aside from the troubles with the Dunlendings his rule saw a new trouble, as the War of the Dwarves and Orcs caused great numbers of Orcs to flee from the Misty Mountains, trying to make a home in the White Mountains south of Rohan. Brytta fought off these Orcs, and when he died it was believed Rohan was free of Orcs. He ruled for 44 years, and was succeeded by his son Walda at his death in 2842.
- Walda: The twelfth King of Rohan. Walda was the son of Brytta Léofa, and became king after the death of his father in 2842. Walda had served in his father's army fighting off the Orcs which had attempted to invade Rohan during Brytta's reign, and at the time of his coronation it was believed Rohan had been freed of them. However, some Orcs remained, and in 2851 after ruling just nine years he was killed by an Orc in Dunharrow. His son Folca succeeded and avenged him.
- Folca: The thirteenth King of Rohan. Folca was the son of Walda, and became king after his father was killed by an Orc in 2851. He avenged his father by hunting down all the Orcs remaining in Rohan, and eventually managed to clear the lands. He earned the nickname The Hunter for his hunting prowess. After having ruled for thirteen years he was killed by the Boar of Everholt, suffering a mortal wound in the hunt for the beast. He was succeeded by his son Folcwine in 2864.
- Folcwine: The fourteenth King of Rohan. Folcwine was the son of Folca the Hunter, and became king after his father was killed during a hunt in 2864. He completely re-conquered the Westmarch between the rivers Adorn and Isen from the Dunlendings. He had four children; three sons and a daughter. His twin sons Folcred and Fastred fought in Gondor against the Haradrim, but were slain. After a rule of 39 years, Folcwine was succeeded at his death in 2903 by his youngest son Fengel.
- Fengel: The fifteenth King of Rohan. Fengel was the third and only surviving son of Folcwine, and became king after the death of his father in 2903. Fengel's two older brothers, Folcred and Fastred, were killed while fighting for Gondor, and as a result Fengel grew up rather spoiled. As a grown man he became known for his greed and love of gold. His son Thengel left Rohan because of disagreements with his father, living with his wife's family in Gondor instead. After a rule of over 40 years Fengel died in 2953, and Thengel reluctantly returned to Rohan.
- Thengel (2905–2980): The sixteenth King of Rohan. Thengel was the only son of Fengel, and became king after the death of his father in 2953. Fengel was a greedy man, and Thengel left Rohan in his youth and went to live with his mother's family in Gondor. Eventually he met and married Morwen Steelsheen of Lossarnach, and he lived with her there for a while.[1] After Fengel died Thengel was called upon to return to Rohan, which he reluctantly did. Morwen bore him five children in total, including his only son (his second child) Théoden and a daughter Théodwyn, who would be the mother of Éomer and Éowyn. Thengel had learned Sindarin while living in Gondor, and in his house it was the daily tongue, together with Westron the common speech. Rohirric was not spoken by him or his heirs.
- Elfwine: Called 'the Fair', was the nineteenth King of Rohan. Elfwine was the first son of Éomer Éadig (King of Rohan) and Lothíriel (daughter of Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth). Through his mother, Elfwine was a first cousin once removed to Prince Faramir of Ithilien, the Steward of Gondor also being his uncle through his aunt Éowyn. He succeeded his father as King after Éomer's death in the year F.A. 63, and ruled long after. As Elfwine ruled in the Fourth Age, after the Red Book of Westmarch had been written, little is known about him. "Elfwine" is a modernized rendering of Ælfwine, an Old English name meaning "Elf-friend".
House of Eorl
Notes
- ^ * pp. 350–351, Appendix A, The Return of the King, J. R. R. Tolkien, Houghton Mifflin, 1965 (Second Edition). ISBN 0-395-48930-X.
- p. 286, Unfinished Tales, J. R. R. Tolkien, ed. and intr. by Christopher Tolkien, Houghton Mifflin, 1980. ISBN 0-618-15404-3.
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