Timeline of Arda

Timeline of Arda

This article includes several timelines relating to J.R.R. Tolkien�s fiction.

Table of contents

1 Real Events

1.1 Sixth and Seventh Ages

2 Arda Events

2.2 Years of the Lamps
2.3 Years of the Trees
2.4 Years of the Sun

2.4.1 First Age
2.4.2 Second Age
2.4.3 Third Age
2.4.4 Fourth Age

3 Battles

3.5 First Age
3.6 Second Age
3.7 Third Age
3.8 End of the World

4 Other Timelines of Interest
5 External Links

Real Events

Sixth and Seventh Ages

January 3, 1892 - John Ronald Reuel Tolkien is born
November 21, 1924 - Christopher Tolkien is born
September 21, 1937 - The Hobbit is first published by George Allen & Unwin LTD of London (for further publishing dates, see The_Hobbit#Editions )
1954-1955 - All three volumes of The Lord of the Rings are published, several months apart, by Allen & Unwin (for further publishing history, see The_Lord_of_the_Rings#Publication_history)
1966 - The Adventures of Tom Bombadil are published; BBC radio broadcasts an eight-part (4-hour) adaptation of The Hobbit
September 2, 1973 - J. R. R. Tolkien dies
1977 - An animated version of The Hobbit debuts on U.S television
1977 - The Silmarillion is published
1978 - United Artists produces an animated adaptation of The Fellowship of the Ring and the first portion of The Two Towers
1980 - Publishing of Unfinished Tales of N�menor and Middle-earth
1981 - Publishing of The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien
1983-1996 - Twelve volumes The History of Middle-earth are published
2001 - Peter Jackson's film The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is released
2002 - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is released
2003 - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is released

Arda Events

Years of the Lamps

Creation of the Two Lamps, Iluin and Ormal
Ordering of Arda by the Valar
Destruction of the Two Lamps by Melkor and his followers

Years of the Trees

The Valar retire to Valinor, while Melkor rules Middle-earth
Aul� the Smith creates the Dwarves but is not allowed to awaken them
Eru awakes the Elves
Orom� summons the Elves to Aman (not all answer the summon - see Sundering of the Elves). Ulmo pushes the island of Tol Eress�a twice back and forth across the ocean of Belegaer in order to transport the Elves.
The Valar make war on Melkor; Melkor is captured and is sentenced to serve a term in the Halls of Mandos for three Ages
Melkor, freed from his sentence, corrupts the Noldor and steals the Silmarils; F�anor first names him Morgoth
Melkor and Ungoliant destroy the Two Trees

Years of the Sun

Note on Shire Reckoning: Year 1601 of the Third Age, in which the Shire was founded, is year 1 of the Shire Reckoning. Thus, Third Age years can be converted into their Shire equivalents by deducting 1600.

First Age

(lasted 583 years)

Year 1 - The Noldor massacre the unarmed Teleri and steal their ships in order to reach Middle-earth and retrieve the Silmarils (see Return of the Noldor); Dagor-nuin-Giliath, The Battle under the Stars, is fought
As Fingolfin smote upon the gates of Angband came the rising of the sun, at which time Man was awakened
65 - Finrod builds the tower of Barad Nimras ("White Horn Tower") on a cape of the Falas between Brithombar and Eglarest
75 - The Noldor, ruled by Fingolfin, start the Siege of Angband
305 - B�or leads The First House of the Edain into Beleriand
455 - Morgoth breaks the Siege of Angband in Dagor Bragollach, Battle of Sudden Flame; kills Fingolfin in duel
473 - Nirnaeth Arnoediad, The Battle of Unnumbered Tears; the Havens of the Falas are destroyed
510 - Gondolin is betrayed by Maeglin and sacked
525 - Elros is born to E�rendil and Elwing
583 - The War of Wrath; Morgoth is cast into the Void; Most of Beleriand is sunk; the Sea of Helcar is drained through the Great Gulf; the plateaus of Mordor, Khand, and Rh�n rise from the former seabed

Second Age

(lasted 3441 years)

32 - Elros is crowned first King of N�menor
442 - Elros, also known as Tar-Minyatur, dies
600 - First N�men�rean ships sail to Middle-earth
c. 1050 - The shadow of Sauron falls upon Greenwood the Great, which is renamed Mirkwood
c. 1350 - Celebr�an and her mother emigrate from Eregion to Lorien
c. 1600 - Forging of the One Ring; arrival of the Blue Wizards in Middle-earth
2899 - Ar-Ad�nakh�r becomes the first king of N�menor to take his royal name in Ad�naic, the language of Men, instead of Quenya, the language of the Elves, resulting in a civil war
3255 - Ar-Pharaz�n sails to Middle-earth and takes Sauron captive
3319 - Ar-Pharaz�n sets foot on Aman; the world is changed; Elendil arrives on the shores of Middle-earth
3220 - Founding of Umbar
3320 - Founding of Gondor and Arnor by Elendil and his sons, Isildur and An�rion
3428 - Sauron conquers Minas Ithil
3429 - Sauron attacks Gondor; the Last Alliance of Elves and Men is formed
3434 - Sauron's forces are defeated in the Battle of Dagorlad
3441 - Elendil and Gil-galad perish in battle; Isildur slays Sauron, bereaving him of his earthly form

Third Age

(lasted 3021 years)

Year 2 - Death of Isildur in the Battle of the Gladden Fields
100 - Elrond weds Celebr�an, daughter of Celeborn and Galadriel
139 - Elrohir and Elladan are born to Elrond and Celebr�an
231 - Arwen Und�miel is born to Elrond and Celebr�an
492 - Easterlings invade Gondor
541 - Easterlings invade Gondor once more, slaying King R�mendacil
c. 550 - King Turambar of Gondor defeats the Easterlings of Rh�n; the Kingdom of Rhovanion becomes and ally of Gondor
861 - Following E�rendur's death, the kingdom of Arnor breaks up into Arthedain, Cardolan and Rhudaur
933 - E�rnil I of Gondor takes Umbar in a surprise attack
1000 - The Wizards come to Middle-earth
1015 - Hyarmendacil I ascends throne of Gondor
1015 - Black N�men�reans of Umbar besiege their old city
1030 - Siege of Umbar ends, Umbar retaken by Black N�men�reans.
1050 - Hyarmendacil I, king of Gondor, conquers Umbar
1149 - Death of Hyarmendacil I
c. 1200 - Ruler of Rhovanion assumes the title "King of Rhovanion"
1248 - R�mendacil II of Gondor strucks decisive blow to the Easterlings; forms a strong alliance with Rhovanion, to which he cedes all the lands east of Anduin
1300 - The kingdom of Angmar first appears at Arthedain's north-eastern border
1356 - King Argeleb I of Arthedain is killed during an invasion by Rhudaur, now controlled by Angmar; his son, Arveleg I, ascends the throne
1409 - Cardolan is conquered by the kingdom of Angmar and Rhudaur disappears; Weathertop watchtower and fortifications are burned and destroyed
1432 - Eldacar succeeds his father, Valacar, as king of Gondor
1437 - Castamir the Usurper, Lord of Ships, usurps throne of Gondor (see Kin-strife); Osgiliath's Palant�r is lost in the river
1447 - Eldacar reclaims Gondor with a Rhovanion army and kills Castamir
1448 - Sons of Castamir the Usurper and most of the fleet of Gondor flee south to Umbar; become known as the Corsairs of Umbar

1540 - King Aldamir of Gondor is slain by Haradrim
1600 - Two Fallohide (see Hobbit) brothers decided to cross the River Brandywine and settle on the other side, and are followed by large numbers of Hobbits
1601 - The Shire is first settled by Hobbits
1634 - Corsairs of Umbar attack Gondor, slaying king Minardil at Pelargir, and raiding the city
1636 - The Great Plague decimates Gondor and Rhovanion; Cirith Ungol is abandoned
1810 - King Telumehtar of Gondor destroys Umbar; renames himself Umbardacil
1851 - Wainriders overrun the Kingdom of Rhovanion
1856 - The Wainriders first attack Gondor
1899 - Gondor attacks Wainriders from the east; the Kingdom of Rhovanion, occupied by Wainriders, rebels and is freed
1936 - Ondoher succeeds Calimehtar as king of Gondor
1944 - During an invasion by the Wainriders and the Haradrim, King Ondoher of Gondor is killed in battle without heirs, and is succeeded by E�rnil II; Haradrim, Wainriders and the Variags of Khand take Umbar; new Corsairs of Umbar emerge
1964 - Arvedui, son of King Araphant of Arthedain, ascends the throne
1974 - The kingdom of Arthedain is conquered by Angmar
1975 - Gondor destroys Angmar in the Battle of Fornost
1980 - The Moria Dwarves awaken Durin's Bane, a Balrog, which kills Durin VI, king of Khazad-d�m; the Nazg�l return to Mordor, lays siege to Minas Ithil
1981 - Durin VI's son, N�in, is also killed, and the Dwarves flee Moria
1999 - Erebor is founded
2050 - End of the royal dynasty of Gondor (until the return of King Elessar)
2460 - Sauron returns to Middle-earth; establishes himself in Dol Guldur in southern Mirkwood
2463 - Sm�agol (later known as Gollum) becomes the fourth master of the One Ring, after killing his cousin D�agol
2509 - Cirion, Steward of Gondor, sends summons to the �oth�od for military aid; Celebr�an is waylaid by Orcs, receives a poisoned wound, and consequentially departs Middle-earth
2510 - The Balchoth invade Rhovanion (which disappears as an independant realm) and Gondor, conquering much of Calenardhon, but are driven back by the people of �oth�od; Gondor gives the now-uninhabited province of Calenardhon to the people of �oth�od
2741 - Helm Hammerhand ascends throne of Rohan
2746 - Amrothos, 15th Prince of Dol Amroth, falls while defending Dol-en-Ernil against the Corsairs of Umbar
2758 - Dunlendings, under Wulf, invade Rohan, supported by thr Corsairs of Umbar
Winter of 2758-2759 - The Dunlendings lay siege to Hornburg
2759 - Helm Hammerhand is killed by the Dunlendings; Saruman settles in Isengard
2799 - The Battle of Azanulbizar is fought on Moria's East Gate, in which the Dwarves defeat Sauron's minions but are defeated by the Balrog Durin's Bane
2850 - Gandalf enters Dol Guldur and confirms that the evil thereby found is indeed Sauron returned
2885 - Harondor is once again claimed by the Haradrim, supported by the Corsairs of Umbar
Septmber 22, 2890 - Bilbo Baggins is born
2930 - Arathorn II, father of Aragorn, becomes the Chieftain of the D�nedain
2933 - Arathorn II is killed while hunting Orcs
July, 2941 - Bilbo Baggins obtains the One Ring; the White Council drives Sauron out of Dol Guldur
2941 - Esgaroth is attacked by the dragon Smaug, who is consequentially killed by Bard the Bowman; Battle of Five Armies
2951 - Estel, later known as Aragorn, comes of age and is told about his heritage; the Corsairs of Umbar officially ally themselves with Mordor and destroy great monument commemorating Ar-Pharaz�n's victory over Sauron
2953 - Last meeting of the White Council
2956 - Aragorn first meets Gandalf the Grey
2957–2980 - Aragorn as Thorongil serves in the armies of King Thengel of Rohan, and Steward Echtelion II of Gondor
September 22, 2968 - Frodo Baggins is born
2980 - Arwen pledges her hand in marriage to Aragorn; Frodo Baggins loses both of his parents in a boating accident; Aragorn, in the service of the Steward of Gondor Echtelion II leads a taskforce south and kills the Captain of the Haven, ruler of Umbar
2989 - Frodo Baggins comes under the guardianship of Bilbo Baggins; a company of Dwarves, led by Balin, try to recolonize Moria
3009 - Aragorn captures Gollum at Gandalf's request, and brings him as a captive to King Thranduil's halls in Mirkwood
3014 - Saruman begins using his influence to weaken Th�oden, king of Rohan
3018 - The Ringwraiths are given the task of retrieving the One Ring; Gandalf returns to the Shire, telling Frodo Baggins he must take the ring away
September 30, 3018 - Aragorn meets Frodo Baggins in the Inn of the Prancing Pony in Bree
January 15, 3019 - The Fellowship of the Ring parts after Gandalf disappears while fighting a Balrog
3019 - Saruman launches a full-scale invasion on Rohan
Late 3019 - Aragorn is crowned as King Elessar (ruling the Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor), and marries Arwen Und�miel shortly afterwards
September 29, 3021 - Elrond, Galadriel, Gandalf, Frodo and Bilbo leave Middle-earth

Fourth Age

6 - Peregrin Took (also known as Pippin) marries Diamond of Long Cleeve
13 - Peregrin Took becomes 32nd Thain of the Shire
63 - Samwise Gamgee leaves Middle-earth via Mithlond
120 - Death of Aragorn, king of Gondor and Arnor, after 210 years of life and 122 years of reign; Aragorn's son Eldarion ascends the throne

Battles

First Age

Year 1 - Dagor-nuin-Giliath, Battle under the Stars
75 - Dagor Aglareb, Glorious Battle
455 - Dagor Bragollach, Battle of Sudden Flame, which ended the Siege of Angband
473 - Nirnaeth Arnoediad, Battle of Tears Unnumbered
583 - War of Wrath

See also Battles of Beleriand.

Other Timelines of Interest

External Links

The Chronicle of Arda

Alberto Monteiro's Tolkien Page