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Region · Gondor

Gondor

The South Kingdom of the Dúnedain, from the White Mountains to the borders of Mordor

View on map Gondor
Appears in
The Lord of the Rings
Region
Gondor
Gondor on the map of Middle-earth

On the map Gondor spreads on both sides of the White Mountains. North of them lies Anórien with Minas Tirith and the beacon hills. South and west lie the fiefs: Lossarnach, Lebennin, Lamedon, Anfalas, Belfalas with Dol Amroth, and the Morthond vale. East of the Anduin is Ithilien, with Mordor beyond the Ephel Dúath, and to the south the disputed ground of Harondor toward the Poros and the Harnen. The beacon hills of Anórien carry a warning westward from Minas Tirith to Rohan in a single day, and the Great West Road runs beneath them.

Elendil's sons founded the realm after the Downfall of Númenor, and at its height it stretched from the Gwathló in the north to the Sea of Rhûn in the east and to the Harnen in the south, with Umbar as a southern port. Its capital was Osgiliath, and the crown passed in the line of Anárion.

Three blows shrank it. The Kin-strife of TA 1432 to 1448 cost it its fleet and drove the rebels to Umbar. The Great Plague of TA 1636 emptied Osgiliath and the forts watching Mordor. The Wainrider wars killed two kings in the field, and the loss of Minas Ithil in TA 2002 opened a permanent wound on the eastern border.

King Eärnur rode to Minas Morgul in TA 2050 and never came back. For 969 years the Stewards of the House of Húrin ruled in the king's name, refusing to take the crown. Denethor II was the last of them. In TA 3019 the siege of Minas Tirith and the Battle of the Pelennor Fields were fought to decide the realm's survival, and on 1 May Aragorn was crowned Elessar, reuniting Gondor with Arnor in the north.

Events at this place

  1. SA 3320 · Appendices

    Gondor founded

    Isildur and Anárion established the South Kingdom after the Downfall of Númenor, with Osgiliath as their chief city.

  2. TA 1432 · Appendices

    The Kin-strife

    Civil war over the half-blood claim of Eldacar burned Osgiliath and cost Gondor its fleet. The defeated faction founded the Corsair state at Umbar.

  3. TA 1636 · Appendices

    The Great Plague

    Plague swept the realm, emptied Osgiliath and left the forts along Mordor's border unmanned.

  4. TA 2002 · Appendices

    Loss of Minas Ithil

    The Nazgûl captured Minas Ithil and its palantír. The city became Minas Morgul, a fortress aimed at Gondor.

  5. TA 2050 · Appendices

    The Stewards take charge

    King Eärnur vanished in the Morgul Vale with no heir, and Mardil Voronwë became the first Ruling Steward.

  6. TA 3019, May 1 · The Lord of the Rings

    Return of the King

    After the Pelennor and the Black Gate, Aragorn was crowned on 1 May and the line of Elendil ruled Gondor again.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Gondor on the Middle-earth map?

In the southwest of the central map, between the Anduin, the White Mountains and the Bay of Belfalas, with Mordor on its eastern border.

Who ruled Gondor before Aragorn?

The Ruling Stewards of the House of Húrin, beginning with Mardil Voronwë in TA 2050 and ending with Denethor II in TA 3019.

What were the provinces of Gondor?

Anórien, Ithilien, Lossarnach, Lebennin, Lamedon, Anfalas, Belfalas and the Morthond vale, with Harondor as a debated southern march.