On 15 April 2510 TA, the Battle of the Field of Celebrant was fought in Middle Earth between Gondor under Cirion and Eorl the Young and Rhun under the Balchoth and Orcs during the Gondor-Rhun Wars.
Why did it happen?
Following the end of the Watchful Peace in 2460 TA, Sauron returned to Dol Guldur and increased his influence over the Orcs and Men of Rhovanion. In the winter of 2509 TA, Cirion, the twelfth Steward of Gondor, received reports of a great host of Easterlings known as the Balchoth amassing along the southern eaves of Mirkwood. On 10 March 2510 TA, Cirion sent six messengers north to request aid from a group of Northmen known as the Eotheod. On 25 March, the two surviving messengers arrived and took counsel with Eorl the Young, the leader of the Eotheod. After a period of silence, Eorl replied, “I will come. If the Mundburg falls, whither shall we flee from the Darkness?” (Tolkien, 2014, p.385). After several days, Eorl mustered his forces and rode south on 6 April, leaving only a few hundred warriors to support the elderly men, women, and children. Meanwhile, Cirion led an army north to deal with the threat to Gondor from the Balchoth.
Who was involved?
The combined armies of Gondor and the Eotheod at the Field of Celebrant consisted of 4,500 infantry, 7,000 cavalry, and 500 archers. Of this number, 3,000 infantry were led by Cirion while the remaining 1,500 infantry were garrisoned along the Anduin River. The cavalry and archers were commanded by Eorl the Young and Borondir. Gondor’s strategy was to engage the Rhun army in the Wold before the army of Eorl and Borondir charged into the rear of the Rhun army. The Rhun army at the Field of Celebrant is estimated to have numbered 10,000 Balchoth and 5,000 Orcs. The Rhun army’s strategy was to cross the Anduin on rafts, overrun the Calenardhon and cut off Gondor’s army from reinforcements. Once this had been achieved, the Orcs would descend from the Misty Mountains and pin Cirion’s forces against the Anduin River and overwhelm them.
What happened?
On 15 April, the Balchoth crossed the Anduin River on a fleet of boats and rafts and quickly defeated the 1,500-strong garrison of Gondor defending the North and South Undeeps. As a southern relief army under Cirion came up from Gondor, the Balchoth defeated them in the Wold and drove Gondor’s forces over the Limlight River, thereby cutting it off from reinforcements in the south. At that point, a horde of Orcs descended from the Misty Mountains and attacked Gondor’s forces in the flank, pushing it against the Anduin River. However, just as victory seemed assured for the Balchoth and Orcs, the cavalry and mounted archers under Eorl the Young crossed the Limlight River and attacked the Balchoth and Orcs in the rear, inflicting heavy losses. As the tide of battle turned in favor of Gondor, the Balchoth and Orcs began to panic and rout, fleeing west towards the Misty Mountains and south over the Limlight River with the Eotheod in pursuit. During the battle, Gondor lost 1,500 killed, while the Rhun army suffered 10,000 casualties.
What changed as a result?
The Battle of the Field of Celebrant was a decisive victory for Gondor. Over the next few days, the Eotheod continued to pursue the Balchoth across the Plain of Calenardhon, killing most of them. Three months later, in July 2510 TA, Cirion met with Eorl beside the Merino Stream near the Firien Wood and gifted the lands of Calenhardon to Eorl and his people, who renamed the land Rohan. In return, Eorl swore an eternal oath to come to Gondor’s aid in times of war. This powerful bond of friendship was described as “not being heard in Middle-earth since Elendil himself had sworn alliance with Gil-galad King of the Eldar” (Tolkien, 2014, p.395). Eorl would become the first king of Rohan and died in battle against the Easterlings in 2545 TA. Five hundred years later, during the War of the Ring, the Oath of Cirion and Eorl would be fulfilled when Rohan under King Theoden came to Gondor’s aid at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
Bibliography
Larsen, Merlin Douglas. “Celebrant Field.” Larsen Family. Accessed October 4, 2021. www.larsen-family.us/~1066/celebrant.html
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. London, Harper Collins Publishers, 2004.
Tolkien, J.R.R. & Tolkien, Christopher. Unfinished Tales. London, Harper Collins Publishers, 2014.