# Can someone summarize why the Dunedain were kings in exile for so long?



## Goldberry (Feb 1, 2002)

Why did the Dunedain wait so long to reclaim the throne of Gondor and re-establish the Kingdom of Arnor? Were there too few of them to fight Sauron, unless they were sure the ring was destroyed? It seems like so much about the one ring was forgotten, so why wait? In all those years, Sauron only grew more powerful.


----------



## Bucky (Feb 1, 2002)

When they arived, the Father, Elendil was 'high King' over both Gondor & Arnor. His sons Isildur & Anarion ruled Gondor for him.

Onlt Isildur remained after the end of the 2nd Age. 
He took the Ring & went to Arnor to take up the high kingship, commiting rule in the South (Gondor) to Anarion's son Melendil (I think that's his name).
Of course, Isildur's company was ambushed by Orcs & he was slain, & the One Ring lost.

The line of Isildur & Anarion continued, but were basically split into 2 kingdoms from that point.

The line in Gondor failed, & was ruled by a Steward 'until the King returns'; requests at that time from the King of Arnor to be named King of Gondor were rejected in Third Age 1975 I believe.

Soon after, the North Kingdom was destroyed. 

Read Appendix A in ROTK for all the details. 

I have to fly to work or I'd go into more detail; maybe somebody with more time can.....


----------



## Beleg Strongbow (Feb 1, 2002)

> _Originally posted by Bucky _
> *When they arived, the Father, Elendil was 'high King' over both Gondor & Arnor. His sons Isildur & Anarion ruled Gondor for him.
> 
> Onlt Isildur remained after the end of the 2nd Age.
> ...


----------



## Goldberry (Feb 4, 2002)

Thanks. I missed the part in the Appendix that the King of Arnor had tried to claim the crown of Gondor in 1975, and was rejected. It makes more sense now.


----------



## Tyaronumen (Feb 5, 2002)

Yes -- following the rejection in the 1970s, the Heirs of Isildur knew that it would take more than the lineage of kings to become King of Gondor.


----------



## lisatkiom (Feb 7, 2002)

I have a follow-up question: In Bree Strider tells the hobbits that he didn't introduce as a friend of Gandalf's right away b/c the Enemy had set traps for him before. Did Sauron know by that time that there was a living heir or had he he just been probing to see if one would emerge?


----------



## Goldberry (Feb 8, 2002)

Sauron doesn't know for sure that there is a living heir of Elendil, but he knows there are still Dunedain. I think it is something he worries about and keeps watch for, hence Aragorn's caution.


----------



## Beleg Strongbow (Feb 8, 2002)

> _Originally posted by Goldberry _
> *Sauron doesn't know for sure that there is a living heir of Elendil, but he knows there are still Dunedain. I think it is something he worries about and keeps watch for, hence Aragorn's caution. *


]



I'm not sure sauron knows that there are still Dunedain but he suspects there might be a few. Otherwise Sauron learnt that Isildur's heir is still alive when Aragorn reveals himself in the Palantir. With the banner and his other proofs.


----------



## Halasían (Dec 27, 2002)

> I missed the part in the Appendix that the King of Arnor had tried to claim the crown of Gondor in 1975, and was rejected. It makes more sense now.


 &


> Yes -- following the rejection in the 1970s, the Heirs of Isildur knew that it would take more than the lineage of kings to become King of Gondor.


 Actually it would take more than the lineage and marriage to claim the throne of Gondor. Arvedui was married to Fíriel, daughter of King Ondoher in third age 1940, and in 1944 King Ondoher and his two sons were killed in the war with the Wainriders, leaving Fíriel as the only living heir, and so Arvedui thought that since his wife was the last heir of the King of Gondor, he made claim to the crown.


----------



## Halasían (Nov 26, 2007)

After reading this thread and also the chapters on Numenor in _Unfinished Tales_, I see that it was a change of the law of succession of King Aldarion, sixth king of Numenor that allowed for ruling Queens. So was the old Numenorean law of succession in Gondor followed when Earnil was made King, and were there no qualified heirs under this law, allowing the Stewards to rule from then on til Aragorn came?


----------



## Starbrow (Nov 26, 2007)

Well, Arvedui tried to use the argument that in Numenor rule passed to the oldest child, male or female, and therefore his wife could be the ruler. However, this practice was not followed in Gondor nor Arnor. Earnil is a descendant through the male line of Telumehtar Umbardacil.


----------



## Halasían (Nov 28, 2007)

Yeah I know that.
I was curious if they used the _*old*_ law of succession before Aldarion changed it.


----------



## Bucky (Dec 20, 2007)

I was going to reply to this question, but I was reading the first responder's post.......

I was thinking to myself, 'This guy said everything I was going to say'.
Then I look over & the poster's name is mine, LOL! : 

'Nuff said.


----------

