On 23 November 2941 TA, the Battle of the Five Armies was fought between the Elves, Dwarves and Men under Thorin II against the Goblins and Wargs under Bolg during the Quest of Erebor.
Why did it happen?
After their defeat at the Battle of Azanulbizar in 2799 TA, the Orcs of the Misty Mountains nursed a great hatred towards the Dwarves. During the Quest of Erebor in 2941 TA, Bilbo Baggins, Thorin Oakenshield and his company of Dwarves were captured by a colony of Goblins that infested the Misty Mountains. While the company was able to escape with the help of Gandalf the Grey, the killing of the Great Goblin King inflamed the Goblin’s memory of the War of the Dwarves and Orcs and under Bolg, son of Azog began gathering their forces at Mount Gundabad. Following the death of Smaug the Dragon on 12 November, Erebor was reclaimed by Thorin, but the destruction of Lake-town caused the Men and Elves of Mirkwood under Bard and Thranduil to unite and march upon Erebor hoping to claim some of the treasure. Thorin sent a message to his cousin, Dain Ironfoot of the Iron Hills, to relieve the siege of Erebor and on 23 November, Dain arrived with a force of 500 Dwarves. However, before the battle could be joined, a large flock of bats darkened the skies above the armies, heralding the arrival of a large army of Goblins and Wargs under Bolg. The Elves, Men and Dwarves quickly forgot their differences and united against this threat.
Who was involved?
The Free Peoples at the Battle of the Five Armies numbered 1,000 Elves, 500 Dwarves and 200 Men. The Elves were arranged on the western slope of Erebor while most of the Dwarves and Men were arranged on the eastern slope. The remaining Dwarves under Thorin II were holed up inside Erebor while a thin line of Men was arranged in front of the gate at the far end of the valley. The Free People’s strategy was to lure the much larger Gundabad army into the valley with the thin line of Men acting as bait while the remaining Elves, Dwarves and Men would attack the Gundabad force from the flanks. The Gundabad army at the Battle of the Five Armies is believed to have numbered 5,000 Goblins and Wargs. Of this number, 1,000 Wargs were positioned in the vanguard with 3,500 Goblins in the centre and 500 Goblins under Bolg’s personal command positioned to the rear. In addition, a small force of Goblins climbed the cliffs above Erebor to attack the Men and Dwarves in the rear once the battle was joined.
What happened?
As the Gundabad army entered the valley, the thin line of Men positioned in front of the Gate of Erebor made a feint resistance before falling back and withdrawing to either side of the valley. The Elves under Thranduil on the west slope and the Dwarves and Men under Dain Ironfoot and Bard then charged downhill, hitting the Goblins and Wargs in the flanks. At the same time, a force of Goblins scaled the mountain from either side of Erebor to attack the Free Peoples in the rear. At that point, Thorin II and his company of 12 Dwarves then emerged from Erebor to join the battle where after heavy fighting, the remaining Elves, Dwarves and Men formed a defensive ring. The Goblins and Wargs then surrounded the ring with Bolg’s bodyguard charging the Dwarven ranks like “waves upon cliffs of sand” (Tolkien, 2012, p.329). Finally, Beorn and the Eagles arrived from the Misty Mountains with the Eagles attacking the rear of the Goblin host and Beorn taking the form of a bear, killing Bolg and scattering his bodyguard. The remaining Goblins and Wargs then fled, only to be pursued by the Eagles who inflicted 3,750 casualties upon the Goblins.
What changed as a result?
The Battle of the Five Armies was a decisive victory for the Free Peoples. The power of the Goblins was completely shattered, and fighting would not take place in the north of Middle Earth again until the War of the Ring. In the aftermath of the battle, Thorin II died from his wounds and subsequently, the treasure of Erebor was divided between the Elves, Dwarves and Men with Bard receiving Bilbo Baggins’ fourteenth share of gold and silver in return for the Arkenstone. Bard then shared his reward with the master of Lake-town and gave Thranduil the emeralds of Girion. Bilbo was given two small chests of gold and silver by Dain Ironfoot before returning to the Shire in 2942 TA. Dain subsequently became King Dain II of Erebor and ruled the kingdom until his death at the Battle of Dale on 17 March 3019 TA.
Bibliography
Fisher, Mark. “Battle of Five Armies.” Encyclopaedia of Arda. Last revised February 17, 2002. https://www.glyphweb.com/arda/b/battleoffivearmies.php
Fonstad, Karen Wynn. Atlas of Middle Earth. New York, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1991.
Larsen, Merlin Douglas. “The Battle of Lonely Mountain—aka Five Armies.” Larsen Family. Accessed May 13, 2021. www.larsen-family.us/~1066/5armies.html
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit. London, Harper Collins, 2012.