In 1975 TA, the Battle of Fornost was fought in Middle Earth between Gondor under Earnur and Glorfindel and Angmar under the Witch-king during the Angmar War.
Why did it happen?
In 1300 TA, the Witch-king travelled to the Carn Dum mountains in northern Eriador and established the realm of Angmar. In 1409 TA, having gathered a large host of Orcs and Hillmen, the Witch-king invaded Arnor, which had been divided into three kingdoms (Arthedain, Cardolan and Rhudaur) following the death of King Earendur in 861 TA. The kingdoms of Rhudaur and Cardolan were annexed by Angmar and over the next five hundred years, Angmar fought Arthedain for control of Eriador. In 1973 TA, the King of Arthedain, Arvedui, sent a message to the King of Gondor, Earnil II, requesting aid against Angmar who was seeking to defeat and annex his kingdom once and for all. King Earnil sent his son Earnur north with a fleet carrying as many troops as could be spared. The following year, the Kingdom of Arthedain was annexed by Angmar and King Arvedui was forced into exile. When Earnil entered the Grey Havens in 1975 TA, he was joined by Elves of Lindon and the remaining forces of Arthedain before the combined forces crossed the Lune River and marched north to confront the Witch-king at Fornost.
Who was involved?
The army of Gondor at Fornost numbered 5,000 infantry, 2,000 cavalry, 5,000 Elves and 100 Hobbit archers. The infantry consisted of 3,000 men from Gondor in the centre and 2,000 men from Arthedain on the left wing, while the cavalry consisted of horses from the Vales of Anduin and princes of Rhovanion. The Elves in Gondor’s army came from the Kingdom of Lindon and numbered 3,000 on the right wing while the remaining 2,000 were led by Glorfindel from Rivendell who arrived later in the battle. In addition, Earnur’s force was accompanied by 100 Hobbit archers from the Shire, with the race of Hobbits being granted that land by King Argeleb II in 1601 TA. Earnur’s plan was to engage the Witch-king’s army near Lake Evendim with his infantry while the cavalry would attack Angmar’s army from the north. The army of Angmar at Fornost consisted of 5,000 Orcs and 3,000 Hillmen of Rhudaur. The Orcs were arrayed in the centre while the Hillmen were arrayed on the wings with the Witch-king underestimating the size of Gondor’s army. Because of this miscalculation, Angmar’s plan was to use their superior numbers to overwhelm the enemy in a set-piece battle.
What happened?
Believing to have superior numbers, the Witch-king led his army out of Fornost and engaged the army of Gondor in a battle between Lake Evendim and the North Downs. As the Witch-king’s army began to retreat back to Fornost, 2,000 cavalry of Gondor swept down out of the north and attacked Angmar’s army in the rear, which turned the retreat into a rout. As the surviving Orcs and Hillmen fled towards Fornost, Earnur and his cavalry overtook the army of Angmar outside the city. At that point, 2,000 Elves from Rivendell under Glorfindel arrived and destroyed the remaining Orcs and Hillmen. Upon seeing the destruction of his army, the Witch-king appeared astride a black horse and confronted both Earnur and Glorfindel, striking terror into both elves and men. Finally, as night fell, the Witch-king fled to the east, and Glorfindel told Earnur not to pursue as “He will not return to this land. Far off yet is his doom, and not by the hand of men will he fall” (Tolkien, 2004, p.1051). While Gondor suffered only 100 casualties, Angmar’s losses were total with 8,000 killed.
What changed as a result?
The Battle of Fornost was a decisive victory for Gondor. In many ways, Fornost decided the shape of Middle Earth’s history for the rest of the Third Age. In the aftermath of the battle, the Witch-king fled east to Mordor where he gathered the other eight Nazgul. In 2000 TA, all nine Nazgul besieged Minas Ithil and captured it in 2002 TA, renaming it Minas Morgul. In 2043 TA, Earnur became the thirty-first king of Gondor and was challenged by the Witch-king to single combat. Initially, he refused, but in 2050 TA he was challenged again by the Witch-king and rode with a small escort of knights to Minas Morgul where he was never seen again. Because Earnur had named no heir, the line of Stewards was established to rule until the return of the king. A total of twenty-six stewards ruled the kingdom of Gondor until the death of Denethor II and the crowning of Aragorn as king in 3019 TA. The Witch-king himself would meet his end at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields at the hands of a shieldmaiden of Rohan named Eowyn, thus fulfilling Glorfindel’s prophecy of “not by the hand of men will he fall.”
Bibliography
Larsen, Merlin Douglas. “The battles of Dagorlad, Orodruin, Fornost, Azanulbizar and Morannon.” Larsen Family. Accessed December 26, 2021. www.larsen-family.us/~1066/azanetal.html
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. London, Harper Collins Publishers, 2004.
Wizards and Warriors. “Fall of Arnor and Rise of Rohan - Middle-Earth Lore DOCUMENTARY.” YouTube video, 27:31. December 23, 2021. www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCbbDreAx3o