Timeline of the The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Don't include The Rings of Power because that is not part of this storyline.
Canonicity Order
- The Lord of the Rings, The War of the Rohirrim
- The Hobbit, An Unexpected Journey
- The Hobbit, The Desolation of Smaug
- The Hobbit, The Battle of the Five Armies
- The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring
- The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers
- The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King
Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
Year of the Lamps | |
Creation of Arda | |
| YL 1 |
|
| YL 1500 | War between Morgoth and the Valar ended, with Morgoth fleeing to Middle-earth |
| YL 1900 | Arda is completed. The Valar create Two Lamps, which illuminate the World, and the Spring of Arda begins. |
| YL 3450 | Melkor returns and topples the Lamps. The shape of the world has changed in the cataclysm. Middle-earth, the landmass between Valinor to the west and the Lands of the Sun to the east, is formed. The Valar fortify themselves in Valinor to the West, while Melkor resides in the North of Middle-earth. |
Years of the Trees | |
| YT 1 | The Valar fashioned two luminous trees to illuminate their land instead of the Lamps due to their destruction. |
| YL 1050 | The Valier Queen, Varda, fashions the Stars to illuminate Middle-earth. The first Elves wake at the shores of Lake Cuivienen in the East. Some are captured by Melkor's servants and, through mutilation and corruption, are turned into Orcs. |
| YL 1090 | The Valar, learning of the Elves' predicament, wage war against Melkor. |
| YL 1100 | Utumnu was destroyed, and Melkor was captured by the Valar. Many of his minions, led by the corrupted Maia Sauron, survive within the stronghold of Angband. Melkor is imprisoned. |
| YL 1105 | The Elves, invited to Valinor, are sundered. The Avari, refusing to leave, stay in the east around Cuivienen. The Silvan Elves (or Wood Elves), refusing to cross the Misty Mountains, stay in the Greenwood and Lorinand. Three groups of Elves pressed on, Vanyar under Inwe, Noldor under Finwe, and Teleri under Elwe and Olwe. |
| YL 1132 | The Isle of Tol Eressea, situated by the shores of Valinor, is mobilized by the Valar to transport the Vanyar and Noldor across the sea. Some Elves, renamed Sindar, remain in Beleriand. They are joined by some Wood Elves who travel to Beleriand. The Noldor and Vanyar construct Eldamar in Valinor. Finwe is crowned High-King. The Teleri reside in Tol Eressea, by the shores of Valinor. |
| YL 1152 | Elwe, having met the Maia Melian, becomes king of the Sindar. Cirdan rules the Elves who reside on the Beleriand shoreline. |
| YL 1169 | Feanor is born to Finwe, High King of the Noldor. |
| YL 1400 | Melkor is released and befriends the Noldor |
| YL 1450 | Feanor, the greatest Elven smith, forges the three Silmarils, hallowed gems, which are coveted by Melkor. He also forges the Palantiri and, by the influence of Melkor, the first weapons ever forged in Valinor. |
| YL 1490 | Feanor threatens his step-brother, Fingolfin, with his sword and is exiled to Formenos, followed by his kin. Melkor tries to turn him against the Valar, but Feanor repels him. He seeks Ungoliant, the Spider of Night, which resides in the South of Valinor. |
| YL 1495 | The Darkening of Valinor |
| Ungoliant destroys the Two Trees while Melkor steals the Silmarils and slays Finwe. They flee to Beleriand. Melkor goes to Angband while Ungoliant, chased by his Balrogs after a disagreement about the Silmarils, goes to the Southern continent. | |
| Feanor begins a rebellion, joined by many of the Noldor who take an oath to let nothing stand in their way to retrieve the Silmarils. Letting none stand in his way, he leads a massacre of the Elves in the harbour of Alqaulonde and takes their ships to pursue Melkor against the wishes of the Valar. His folk are cursed to fail at their endeavour. | |
| YL 1497 | Melkor (now recalled Morgoth) attacks the Elves of Beleriand. Feanor's forces land in Beleriand and push Morgoth's forces back. Feanor dies within sight of Angband, his sons establish realms across Beleriand. The eldest, Maedhros, is captured by Morgoth. Meanwhile, a second force of Noldor, led by Fingolfin and left behind by Feanor, goes to Beleriand by means of crossing the icebergs of Helcaraxe. |
| YL 1500 | Fingolfin reaches Middle-earth and helps push Morgoth's forces back. The Sun and Moon rise for the first time, marking the beginning of the Years of the Sun. The Noldor settled in Middle-earth. |
The First Age (Year of the Sun) | |
| FA 1 | The first Men awake in Hildorien to the East. |
| FA 5 | Fingon, astride Great Eagles, rescues Maedhros. |
| FA 60 | The Battle of Dagor Aglareb results in a long-standing siege of Angband. The Elves settle, Turgon in Gondolin and Finrod in Nargothrond. |
| FA 155 | First Orc attack on Hithlum. |
| FA 310 | Strife between Men loyal and opposed to Morgoth results in the latter group fleeing west, reaching Beleriand, and making contact with the Elves. |
| FA 375 | Orcs corner a faction of Men at the Gelion-Ascar Stockade. They are eventually relieved by Caranthir. |
| FA 455 | Dagor Bragollach, in which Morgoth breaks the siege and results in the deaths of Elven Lords Fingolfin, Angrod, and Aegnor; and of the Lords of Men in Hador, Gundor, and Bregolas. Gil Galad is sent to the Falas. |
The Lay of Luthien | |
| FA 460 | A group of outlaws led by Barahir is discovered at their hideout at Tarn Aeluin. The only survivor, Beren, son of Barahir, flees south. |
| FA 464 | Beren reaches Doriath and meets Luthien daughter of Elwe |
| FA 465 | Compelled by her father, he takes the Quest of the Silmaril in favour of Luthien's hand. Finrod joins him and is killed by Sauron. Luthien rescues Beren and banishes Sauron to Taur-nu-Fuin. |
| FA 466 | Luthien and Beren manage to infiltrate Angband, cast a spell of sleep on Morgoth, and retrieve a Silmaril. His hound, the werewolf Carcharoth, bites off Beren's hand with the Silmaril in it, but they are rescued by Eagles. Thingol repents and takes Beren with him on the Hunt of the Wolf, in which the Silmaril is retrieved from the slain Carcharoth, but Beren dies. Luthien forfeits her life to revive Beren, and is herself revived as a mortal. |
The Tale of Turin Turambar | |
| FA 472 | Battle of Nirnaeth Arnoidiad, Maedhros leads a union of Men, Dwarves, and Elves against Morgoth, but they are defeated through superior numbers and the betrayal of the Swarthy Men. Deaths of Fingon, Huor, Gloredhel, Azaghal, Haldir, Hundar, and Rian. Turgon becomes High King of the Noldor. Hurin, a leader of men, is captured by Morgoth, and his kin is cursed by the Dark Lord. |
| FA 473 | Turin, son of Hurin, is separated from his pregnant mother Morwen and taken to Doriath for safety. Gil Galad and Cirdan flee to the isle of Balar as Brithombar and Eglarest are destroyed. |
| FA 484 | Turin, now a Lord of Doriath and friend of Marchwarden Beleg, accidentally leads to the death of one Saeros, and goes into exile. |
| FA 485 | Turin becomes a leader of Outlaws. Over the next year, they encounter Mim, a Petty-Dwarf, and take residence in his abode in Amon Rudh. |
| FA 489 | Beleg tracks Turin and joins his company before Mim betrays them to the Orcs. Turin is captured but rescued by Beleg before he accidentally slays the latter. Gwindor, an Elf escaping Angband, leads Turin to Nargothrond. |
| FA 495 | Turin, now a lord of Nargothrond, participates in the Battle of Tumhalad against Glaurung, father of Dragons, which results in the sack of Nargothrond. Tuor, his cousin, escapes captivity by the Swarthy Men and finds Nevrast, where the Vala Ulmo sends him on a quest to Gondolin. |
| FA 496 | Turin, fooled by the dragon, goes seeking his mother and sister in his homeland, which he finds overrun by Swarth Men. Learning that his mother and sister left for Doriath years earlier, his attempt at an uprising fails, causing him to leave in pursuit of Finduilas, the captured princess of Nargothrond. Meanwhile, Tuor finds his way to the hidden city of Gondolin. Turin's mother and sister leave to seek him, and are ambushed by Glaurung. A spell of forgetfulness is laid on Niennor, Turin's sister, and she flees into the wilderness. Turin reaches Brethil. |
| FA 498 | Turin, now a leader in Brethil, weds Niniel, a woman he found in the woods. |
| 499 | Glaurung approaches Brethil and is slain by Turin. At his deathbed, the dragon reveals Niniel to be Niennor, Turin's sister, causing her to take her own life. Turin, enraged, kills the chieftain Brandir and takes his own life. The next year, Hurin was released from Angband. |
| FA 501 | Hurin, having slain Mim, brings a Necklace from Nargothrond to Thingol and then goes to Brethil, where his story and maltreatment cause strife and the destruction of the Men of Brethil. Hurin takes his own life. |
| FA 502 | The Sack of Doriath, Thingol asks the Dwarves of the Blue Mountains to place his Silmaril in his new necklace. A dispute over payment and ownership results in the sack of Doriath by the Dwarves. Beren marshals the Elves against the Dwarves. Luthien died later that year, followed by Beren. Their son Dior inherits the throne of Doriath. |
| FA 506 | Sons of Feanor attack Doriath to retrieve the Silmaril. Deaths of Dior, Nimloth, Celegorm, Curufin, and Caranthir. Elwing, Dior's daughter, flees with the Silmaril to the Havens of Sirion. Oropher, a denizen of Doriath, flees east. |
| FA 510 | The Fall of Gondolin, Its secret location betrayed by Maeglin, the city of Gondolin is placed under siege. Turgon, Ecthelion, Legolas, Glorfindel, Maeglin, and Gothmog perished. The blades Glamdring, Orcrist, and Sting are lost to the plundering Orcs. Tuor and Idril, with their son Earendil, lead an exodus through the mountains to the Havens of Sirion. Gil Galad becomes High King of the Noldor. |
| FA 534 | The Voyage of Earendil unfolds:
Earendil takes a voyage to Valinor, while the sons of Feanor raid the Havens of Sirion looking for the Silmarils. Elrond and Elros, sons of Earendil and Elwing, are spared and taken in by Maglor, while Elwing flees into the sea. Ulmo gives her the shape of a bird, and so she meets with Earendil and, bearing the Silmaril, allows them to cross to Valinor, where they plead to the Valar to serve aid against Morgoth. |
| FA 545, FA 487 |
The War of Wrath unfolds:
|
The Second Age | |
| SA 40 | The Men of Beleriand are granted a new land on the island of Elenna or Númenor, between Middle-earth and Valinor. The Elves under Gil Galad reside in Lindon. Sindarin Lord Oropher and his son Thranduil venture east to rule over the Wood Elves of Greenwood. Many of the Dwarves of the Blue Mountains leave for the realm of Durin's Folk in Moria, which becomes prosperous. |
| SA 500 | Sauron returns to Middle-earth, settling in secret in the East. |
| SA 600 | Under the rule of King Tar Elendil, Númenorean ships first reach Middle-earth again, making contact with the tribes of Men living in Eriador. |
| SA 750 | Celebrimbor, a grandson of Feanor, creates the Noldorin realm of Eregion near Moria. |
| SA 882 | Aldarion, heir apparent of Númenor, returns from a series of voyages to Middle-earth, and is separated from his wife, Erendis, and daughter Ancalime. He will be crowned next year. |
| SA 892 | Ancalime is proclaimed heir, the first woman to inherit the throne, changing the law of succession. |
| SA 1000 | Sauron begins construction of Barad Dur. |
| SA 1075 | Tar Ancalime takes the sceptre. She stops sending aid to Gil Galad, just as the High King denies the services offered by Annatar, a false identity taken by Sauron, who assumes a fair guise. Numenoreans begin to construct permanent havens in Middle-earth, dominating the local populace and deforesting Eriador for their ships. |
| SA 1200 | Sauron, appearing under the fair guise of Annatar, befriends Celebrimbor with the intention of corrupting or toppling his realm and taking it for his own. |
The Dark Years | |
| SA 1350 | Galadriel and Celeborn leave for Lorinand. |
| SA 1500 | With Annatar's guidance, Rings of Power are forged in Eregion to help preserve the fading power of the Elves in Middle-earth. |
| SA 1600 | Sauron, renouncing his alias, forges the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom. Barad Dur is completed. |
| SA 1693 | The Three Rings of the Elves are hidden. Sauron attacks Eregion |
| SA 1697 | Sack of Eregion and Death of Celebrimbor. Moria's Doors of Durin are closed shut. Rivendell is established as a haven for Noldorin refugees. The Dark Days begin. |
| SA 1700 | Aid from Numenor under Minastir pushes Sauron back. Sauron continues to control much of the south and east of Middle-earth. |
Downfall of Númenor | |
| A 2251 | Decadence sets in Numenor, as the Elvish tongues are forsaken by the court. Meanwhile, Sauron exerts the power of the One Ring over nine kings of Men in Middle-earth who wield Rings of Power, and turns them into Ringwraiths. |
| SA 2280 | Havens of Umbar are founded. |
| SA 3117 | Elves are banned from entering Numenor, and Elvish speech is prohibited. |
| SA 3175 | King Tar Palantir repents the ways of his forefathers. Civil War in Numenor. |
| SA 3225 | Ar Pharazon usurps Tar Palantir, becoming the greatest in might of all Numenorean kings. |
| SA 3262 | Ar Pharazon defeats Sauron and takes him prisoner to Numenor. Sauron poisons the mind of the king with promises of longevity for worshipping Morgoth with human sacrifice and compels him to assault Valinor, which he claims would grant him immortality. |
| SA 3319 | Ar Pharazon's Fleet, the Great Armament, sails against Valinor. The Valar call upon Eru, who causes a cataclysm that incarcerates Ar Pharazon's troops to the end of time in the Caves of the Forgotten, while the world is bent into a globe and Valinor is made inaccessible to mortals. This causes a deluge which submerges Numenor, killing its inhabitants and the queen Miriel. Sauron returns to Mordor. |
| The Faithful, led by Elendil, flee in time to Middle-earth with a seedling of the White Tree. They established two Numenorean kingdoms, Arnor in the North, and Gondor in the South. | |
Last Alliance of Men and Elves | |
| 3430 | The Last Alliance of Elendil and Gil-galad is formed. The Men of the White Mountains, fearing Sauron, rebuke an oath given to Isildur to come to his aid, and are cursed never to rest in peace until they have fulfilled their pledge. They gradually become the Dead Men of the Mountains. |
| 3434 | The Battle of Dagorlad results in the death of Gil Galad, Elendil, and Oropher. Elendil's son, Isildur, cuts the Ring from Sauron's hand, destroying the Dark Lord's physical form. Seduced by the Ring and unwilling to destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom, however, the spirit of the Dark Lord lives on. |
| 3436 | Isildur plants the sapling of the White Tree in Minas Anor. He carries the One Ring, intending it to become an heirloom of his kingdom and bloodline. His convoy, including all three of his elder sons, is attacked on the road through the Gladden Fields by renegade Orcs, where Isildur uses The Ring to disappear and flee. It slips off his finger, revealing him to the Orcs who kill him, and the line of kings is broken. The Ring lies at the bottom of the river Anduin. His son, Valandil succeeded him. |
The Third Age | |
| TA 490 | First invasions of Easterlings into the dominion of Gondor. Steward Tarostar defeats them. |
| 861 | Death of Earendur, king of Arnor. The realm is divided into Arthedain, Rhudaur, and Cardolan. Earendur's eldest, Amlaith, becomes the first king of Arthedain. |
| TA 933 | Steward Earnil I seizes Umbar. |
| TA 936 | Earnil is drowned. |
| TA 1000 | The Istari, five Maiar in the shape of old Men, are sent to Middle-earth to help against the return of Sauron's minions. These include Saruman, the head of the order, Gandalf, Radagast, and the two Blue Wizards. |
| TA 1050 | Ciryaher conquers Near-Harad, and Gondor reaches the zenith of its power. Meanwhile, the Halflings first appear as an offshoot of the Northmen who live on the outskirts of Greenwood. |
| TA 1248 | Minalcar defeats a large force of Easterlings and begins construction of the Argonath at the kingdom's Northern border. |
| TA 1250 | Minalcar sends his son Valacar as an emissary to the king of Rhovanion, Vidugavia. He later sired a son with a princess of Rhovanion, calling him Eldacar. |
Angmar War | |
| 1300 | The Nazgul reappear. The Witch King founded the Kingdom of Angmar in Carn Dum and Gundabad. Orcs come down from the North, harassing the Dwarves, Skin-Changers, Wood-Elves, Rivendell, and the realms of Arnor. |
| The Halflings begin migrating westward, but some Stoor folk remain in the Gladden Fields. | |
| 1409 | The Witch King sways the kings of Rhudaur to his side and soon occupies the realm. He ravages Cardolan and besieges the great Watchtower of Amon Sul at the edge of the Weather-Hills. There, the last prince of Cardolan and Arveleg I of Arthedain are slain, but the Palantir contained within the tower is smuggled to Fornost. |
| 1432 | Eldacar inherits the stewardom of Gondor, and the legitimacy of his bloodline stirs a kinstrife. |
| 1437 | Castamir takes the seat from Eldacar. The capital Osgiliath is heavily damaged in the fighting, and its Palantir is lost to the Anduin. Eldacar recruits an army from Rhovanion and fights Castamir's forces at the crossings of Erui. He besieges Castamir's sons in Pelargir. When they sail away to Umbar, Eldacar retakes the city and his throne. |
| 1551 | Steward Vinyarion defeats a Haradrim force. |
| 1600 | The Elvenking launches an assault on Angmar. The Elven-queen, protecting and presumably hiding her young son, Legolas, is captured and taken to Gundabad and killed. Thranduil withdraws from the War. |
| 1601 | Halflings settle in The Shire to the West. The Shire Reckoning Begins. |
| 1635 | The Great Plague begins infesting the Westlands. Telemar of Gondor perishes, and Osgiliath is ruined, with the capital moving to Minas Anor. The Gondorian fortresses overlooking Mordor are abandoned. |
| 1810 | Steward Telumehtar takes Umbar. |
| 1851 | Angmar was temporarily driven back. The Wainriders invade Gondor, taking its eastern provinces. A Gondorian fortress on Amon Lanc was presumably destroyed and abandoned at this time. Narmacil II of Gondor and Marhari of Rhovanion are slain. |
| 1856 | The Men of Rhovanion flee up the river Running to form Esgaroth, and to the Vales of the Anduin, forming the Eotheod. |
| 1940 | Gondor and Arnor form an alliance, and the Arnorian prince Arvedui marries Firiel of Gondor. |
| 1944 | Wainrider attacks resume. Deaths of Ondoher, Artamir, Faramir, and Minohtar. |
| 1974 | Sack of Arnor. Arvedui flees to the Blue Mountains. Angmar ruled much of Eriador and the Northern vales of Anduin. |
| 1975 | After taking refuge in the Northern Waste with the Lossoth, Arvedui takes an Elven ship, which is then drowned, along with him and two Palantiri. The Ring of Barahir, his heirloom, survives after he gives it to the Lossoth.
The Battle of Fornost, Gondorian Forces, accompanied by Eotheod riders, arrive at London to aid the Dunedain in Eriador. Under Prince Earnur, they defeat the Witch-King at Fornost and drive him back to Carn Dum. |
| 1976 | Aranarth, son of Arvedui, becomes the first of the Dunedain Rangers of Eriador. They form the last remnant of the people of Arnor. |
| 1979 | Bucca of Marish becomes the first Thain of the Shire. |
| 1980 | The Dwarves delve too greedily in Khazad Dum, awakening a Balrog hidden therein, who kills the king Durin VI. |
| 1981 | King Nain dies at the hand of the Balrog, and the Dwarves leave Moria. Amrod of Lorien and his love Nimrodel flee nearby Lorindad to the South, where they perish. Celeborn and Galadriel rule Lorindad. |
| 1999 | Dwarven refugees establish the kingdom of Erebor. The Northmen to the south form Dale. |
| 2002 | The Nazgul capture Minas Ithil. |
| 2050 | Earnur is slain in Minas Morgul. |
| 2210 | Thorin I leaves Erebor for the Grey Mountains. |
| 2340 | Hobbits under Gorhendad Oldbuck settle Buckland, The Thainhood of the Shire changes hands from the Oldbucks (now renamed Brandbucks) to the Took family under Isumbras Took I. |
| An Orc-raid from Angmar results in the deaths of at least two Silvan Elves. Thranduil has the Orcs hunted down, and adopted the orphaned Elf, Tauriel. | |
| 2463 | Under the shadow of Angmar, Deagol and Smeagol, members of the Riverfolk Hobbits who remained in the Gladden Fields, find the One Ring. Smeagol murders Deagol for it. |
| 2470 | Smeagol, corrupted by the Ring and banished, hides under the Misty Mountains. He is consumed by the Ring, becoming the creature Gollum. |
| 2475 | Boromir I defends the ruins of Osgiliath and defeats the forces of Minas Morgul. The Nazgul fled to Angmar. |
| 2480 | Under Angmar, Gundabad Orcs settle in the Misty Mountains, most notably Moria. Goblin-town is founded near the High Pass, above Gollum's lair. The Skin-changers are driven from the Mountains to Wilderland. Some time later, Azog the Orc captures most of the skin-changers, torturing them for sport. |
| 2501 | Eorl becomes lord of the Eotheod, and tames the first of the Mearas, the horse Felarof. |
| 2510 | The Balchoth attacked Gondor from the east. The steward Cirion calls upon Eorl before his army is cornered in the Wold by both Balchoth and Orcs. Eorl and his forces arrive and defeat the Balchoth on the fields of Celebrant. Cirion gives Eorl's kin the land of Calenardhon, where they create the kingdom of Rohan. |
| 2540 | Angmar is overthrown, and the nine Ringwraiths are entombed in the High Fells of Rhudaur with all their possessions. The Watchful Peace begins, and the White Council is formed. |
The Watchful Peace | |
| TA 2570 | Baldor, prince of Rohan, enters the Paths of the Dead, where he perishes. Aldor ends up taking the throne of Rohan. |
| 2589 | Dragons kill Dain I and Fror in the Grey Mountains. By now, four of the Dwarven Rings of Power are consumed by dragons. |
| 2590 | Thror returns to Erebor. Gror goes to the Iron Hills. |
| 2670 | Tobold Hornblower first cultivates Pipeweed in the Shire. |
| 2683 | Great Smials constructed. |
| 2710 | Dunlendings capture Isengard, since abandoned by Gondor. |
| 2747 | Goblins invade Eriador and enter the Shire. Bandobras "Bullroarer" Took, astride a horse, charges their ranks at Greenfields, swinging the head of their king Golfimbul and winning the battle. |
| 2758 | Umbar attacks Gondor. The Long Winter begins, and the Brandywine freezes, allowing wolves to invade the Shire until Gandalf the Wizard comes to the Hobbits' aid. |
| In Rohan, King Helm Hammerhand insults and kills the Dunlending lord Freca, resulting in a Dunlending invasion that sees the Rohirrim flee to Helm's Deep, where Helm eventually dies. His cousin Frealaf launches an assault, driving the Dunlendings back. | |
| 2759 | Saruman, head of the Istari, settles in Isengard. |
| ==== Sack of Erebor and aftermath ==== | |
| 2769 | Thror begins hoarding treasure beyond measure or practical use. He begins construction of a huge statue in his likeness, to be cast out of pure gold. In mining for the necessary gold, the Arkenstone is found and prized by Thror as the King's Jewel. |
| 2770 | Sack of Erebor and Dale by Smaug. Thorin leads an exodus, but his people are refused shelter by Thranduil. They leave for Dunland. |
| 2799 | Battle of Moria, Thror leads the Dwarves back to Moria where they encounter the Orcs under Azog. Death of Thror, Frerin, Fundin, and capture of Thrain and the last Dwarven Ring. Thorin defeats Azog and leads his people to a pyrrhic victory, becoming king of Durin's Folk. He leads them back to Dunland. |
| 2802 | Thorin leads his people to the Blue Mountains. |
| 2817 | War of the Rohirrim. |
| 2845 | Gandalf passes through Moria at this time. |
| 2848 | Gerontius Took becomes Thain of the Shire. |
| 2881 | As the Long Valley turned into desolation, Smaug is no longer seen outside the gate of Erebor, which is sealed. By this stage, the old stone-built city of Esgaroth lay in ruins, and a smaller wooden Laketown is set in its place. |
| 2885 | Haradrim attack on Gondor. Folcred and Fasted of Rohan die in the service of the steward. |
| 2901 | Ithilien and Henneth Annun constructed. |
| 2912 | Fall is winter. Floods in Minhiriath and Enedhwaith destroy Tharbad. |
| 2915 | Aragorn is born. He is later taken by his mother Gilraen to Rivendell, where she thinks he will be safe. |
The Quest of Erebor | |
| 2940 | Thorin goes searching for Thrain in Dunland. Azog learns of his approach and sends out warrants for his head, which Gandalf intercepts. He meets Thorin and, fearing rising darkness, hatches the idea of the Quest of Erebor. |
| 2941 | As Thorin calls delegates from the seven kingdoms to rally them to the Quest of Erebor, Gandalf attempts to recruit Bilbo, both are unsuccessful. Twelve of Thorin's compatriots go to Bag End, followed by Gandalf and finally Thorin. The next day, they set out, joined later by Bilbo. |
| Radagast discovers a dark magic has fallen over the Greenwood, emanating from Dol Guldur. He discovers the Necromancer, unwittingly wrestles a Morgul Blade from the Witch King, and leaves to find Gandalf. | |
| Thorin and Company reach the ruins of a farm on the outskirts of Staddle, the aftermath of a Troll attack. They encounter the Trolls, who are eventually turned to stone. In their hoard, they find Orcrist, Glamdring, and Sting. Radagast arrives to warn Gandalf just as Warg Riders sent by Azog chase the company to Rivendell. Elrond reads the Moon Runes on Thorin's map on Midsummer's Eve. Having been alerted by Gandalf in advance, Elrond summons Saruman and Galadriel to the White Council while Thorin and Company leave in secret. | |
| The company arrives at the High Pass, where they are captured by the Goblins of Goblintown. Fighting a Goblin Imp, Bilbo falls into Gollum's lair. Trying to return to its master, the Ring leaves Gollum for the Goblin-imp, whom Gollum kills, and Bilbo claims it instead. Using its power of invisibility, he has a chance to kill Gollum, but decides against it. | |
| Battle of Goblintown, Gandalf regroups with the company, rescuing them from the Goblin-King, who he slays and leads an escape out of the town and onto the eastern slopes of the Misty Mountains. Azog arrives and chases the company to a cliff's edge, where Thorin confronts him but is defeated. Bilbo saves Thorin before the Eagles rescue the company. Thorin's appreciation for Bilbo grows. | |
| The company crosses the Wilderland, reaching Beorn's House. Bolg pursues the company instead of Azog, who stays in Dol Guldur to marshal an army. The company reaches Mirkwood, where Gandalf leaves to investigate the riddle of the Morgul Blade. The company wanders in the woods before they are captured by Spiders and afterwards by Woodland Elves. | |
| Bilbo rescues them, and they float in barrels down the Forest River, during an Orc ambush by Bolg in which the Dwarf Kíli scores a poisonous wound. Narzug the Orc is captured by Tauriel, who worries for Kíli. Gandalf inspects the High Fells, which he finds pried open from the inside, deducing that the Necromancer had released them. The company encounters Bard and compels him to smuggle them into Laketown. They are revealed when they attempt to pilfer weapons from the armoury at night, but as they're brought before The Master, Thorin appeals to his avarice, compelling the Master to aid them in their quest. Bard warns Thorin of the Quest's potential repercussions for the Lakemen, but the Dwarf dismisses the danger. | |
| Thorin leads the company out of Lake-town and to Erebor, leaving the ailing Kíli behind with Fíli, Oin, and Bofur, who take shelter in Bard's House. The Dwarves find the Hidden Door, while Gandalf explores Dol Guldur and finds Thrain (24 September). He encounters Azog and sees the secret army, before the Necromancer, now revealed as Sauron, overpowers and incarcerates him. Bilbo seeks the Arkenstone but is discovered by Smaug, while Bard tries to prepare the Black Arrow to be shot, in case the dragon attacks Laketown. Bolg's company tracks the Dwarves to Bard's house, but are driven back by Tauriel (who heals Kíli, now infatuated with her) and Legolas, who chases Bolg out of Laketown. He sees Bolg regroup with a company of Gundabad Orcs. | |
| In the Battle in Erebor, the company attempts to kill Smaug by completing Thror's golden statue and submerging the dragon in the molten gold, but fails. Smaug leaves to incinerate Laketown, but is slain by Bard with the Black Arrow. | |
| As refugees amass on the shore, led by Bard, Thorin succumbs to grief, taking comfort in the treasure, which he becomes fixated with. The remaining members of the company eventually rejoin the others in Erebor. Bilbo is hiding the Arkenstone from the gold-lusting, mad Thorin. | |
| During the Battle of Dol Guldur, Sauron successfully lures Galadriel and Elrond, keepers of the other two Elven Rings, to Dol Guldur to aid Gandalf. Saruman also arrives, and the joined forces of the Council drive back the Nazgul and Galadriel banishes Sauron. Gandalf leaves to warn Thorin of Azog's army. Legolas and Tauriel leave for Gundabad, where they see Bolg marshalling a second Orc army. The War of the Ring begins. | |
| During Siege of Erebor, Bard brings the survivors to the ruins of Dale and asks Thorin for aid, but the dwarf refuses. Thranduil arrives with his army to force Thorin to surrender the White Gems. Bilbo sneaks out to bring the Arknestone to Bard, to help leverage Thorin to do the right thing. | |
The Battle of the Five Armies occured
| |
| Dain becomes king under the mountain. Bilbo leaves with Gandalf. | |
| June 22, TA 2942 | Bilbo and Gandalf spend Yule-tide at Beorn's House, where many of the Northmen gather. Sometime after leaving the Battle of the Five Armies, Legolas joins the Rangers of the North. Reaching Trollshaws, Bilbo digs up the chest and takes it to the Shire, reaching Hobbiton on 22 June, stopping an auction happening in his house. Gandalf, having left Bilbo, spends the next sixty years roaming Middle-earth in the cause against Sauron. Legolas finds Aragorn, the heir of the Dunedain Rangers, and joins him. |
Between the Quests | |
| c. after TA 2942 | Legolas joins the Rangers of the North and meets Strider, learning his identity as Aragorn and becoming close friends with him. |
| TA 2957 | Under the pseudonym of Thorongil, Aragorn sees Minas Tirith, rides to War with Thengel of Rohan Theoden was only a small child to remember these events. Aragorn leads an assault on Umbar, destroying its fleet and killing its lord in single combat, ceasing the Corsair-Gondor Wars. He leaves for Harad before returning north. |
| TA 2968 | Frodo Baggins, son of Primula Brandybuck and Drogo Baggins, is born |
| TA 2980 | Samwise Gamgee was born on April 6 TA 2980 |
| TA 2982 | Meriadoc Brandybuck, son of Saradoc and one of Frodo's companions and cousins, is born. |
| TA 2989 | Balin leads a company, including Ori and Oin, to reclaim Moria, which he thinks is deserted after the Battle of the Five Armies. They prospered for several years before Sauron's rising strength led Goblins and Orcs to infest the mountains once more, destroying the colony sometime before 3001. |
| TA 2990 | Peregrin "Pippin" Took, son of Paladin and Frodo's companion, is born. |
Quest of the Ring
| Date | Description | ||
| TA 3000 | September | 22 | Bilbo's Farewell Party takes place. Gandalf suspects the Ring has a negative influence on Bilbo and coerces him to leave it behind for Frodo as he leaves for Rivendell. Later, when Frodo returns, Gandalf tells Frodo to keep the Ring hidden as he leaves to search for Gollum. |
| TA 3000-TA 3001 | Gandalf embarks on the Hunt for Gollum with Aragorn. The creature is, however, captured first by Sauron, revealing to the Dark Lord the whereabouts of The Ring and the name of its owner. On his trail, Gandalf sees Mordor repopulated and goes to Minas Tirith, uncovering the account of Isildur and the secret to ascertaining the Ring's identity. Meanwhile, Boromir fends Sauron off at Osgiliath. | ||
| TA 3001 | January-October | N/A | Gollum is tortured in Barad Dur, revealing Bilbo's last name and country and later set free. |
| As a distraction for sending the Ringwraiths west, Sauron attacks Osgiliath. Boromir recaptures the city, but is sent by Denethor to Rivendell, where Elrond, informed by Gandalf, has called a meeting. | |||
| Gandalf arrives at the Shire and ascertains the true nature of the Ring to Frodo. He finds Samwise eavesdropping on their conversation and sends Frodo with him and orders Sam to stay with Frodo no matter what happens. | |||
| September | Gandalf goes to Saruman in Isengard, but is betrayed. Frodo and Sam, joined by Merry and Pippin evade the Dark Riders on the way to Buckelberry Ferry. | ||
| Saruman uses the Palantir captured in Dol Guldur and is ensnared by Sauron. | |||
| The Hobbits reach Bree, where they meet Aragorn, who leads them through Eriador. They are attacked on Weathertop, while Gwaihir, the Eagle, rescues Gandalf. | |||
| Found by Arwen, Frodo is taken across the Ford of Bruinen, where she summons a wave of river out to wipe out the | |||
| October | 24-25 | Frodo awakes at ten o'clock in the morning, reunited with Gandalf. Boromir, Legolas, Gimli, and delegates from Esgaroth and Dale arrive at Rivendell, and the Council of Elrond convenes the next day, resulting in the formation of The Fellowship of the Ring | |
| December | 25 | Aragorn visits Gilraen's Grave, with Elrond trying to convince him to let Arwen go, and Aragorn feigns to part with Arwen. The Fellowship leaves Rivendell. | |
| TA 3002 | January | 8-13 | The Fellowship reaches Hollin (January 8), and goes to Caradhras before being forced back to the West-gate of Moria, where Gollum finds their trail |
| 15 | During their journey in the mines, the BBattle of the Mazarbul Chamber ensues. Gandalf fights the Balrog, and both fall into Durin's Chasm | ||
| 25 | The company flees to Lothlorien, captured by Haldir. Unbeknownst to them, Gandalf lives, and slays the Balrog on the top of Zirak Zigil | ||
| 26 | The company leaves Lorien, with Gandalf borne there by Gwaihir the next day. | ||
| February | The First Battle of the Fords of Isen, Saruman's hordes of Uruk-hai and Dunlendings pillage the Westfold, and the Rohirrim prince Theodred rides against his forces at the Fords of Isen, where he is defeated, but found alive by Éomer. | ||
| Éomer is banished from Edoras by the influence of the traitor Grima Wormtongue. He overtakes the Uruks under the Eaves of Fangorn (29facilitating the Hobbits' escape. Frodo encounters and tames Gollum, who leads him to the Black Gate. Faramir sees Boromir's body in the river. Merry and Pippin join Treebeard the Ent. | |||
| The Battle of Parth Galen. Boromir dies, and Aragorn slays the Uruk leader Lurtz. Frodo and Sam leave the Fellowship, going east. Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas set Boromir's body down the river and chase the Uruks who captured Merry and Pippin on their way to Isengard. | |||
| Aragorn, Legolas, and Gandalf reunite with the resurrected Gandalf, who leads them to Edoras. Frodo and Sam cross the Dead Marshes and avoid encountering a Black Rider. | |||
| Gandalf brings Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli to Edoras, where he delivers Théoden from Saruman's influence. A funeral for Théodred his held. As such, Gandalf decides to leave to find Éomer while Théoden will lead his people to Helm's Deep. On February 29th, he tells Aragorn to wait for his coming on the fifth day of the dawn and leaves. | |||
| Frodo, Sam and Gollum reach the impregnable Black Gate and turn to Cirith Ungol instead. Faramir captures Frodo and Sam but Gollum escapes | |||
| News broke on the burning of the Westfold. Théoden decides to make for the refuge of Helm's Deep. | |||
| Wargs attack the people of Edoras on their way to Helm's Deep and Aragorn is presumed dead, fallen into the stream of the Isen. Arwen is convinced by Elrond to make for the Grey Havens. Galadriel compels Elrond to send an Elven force to aid Aragorn. | |||
| March | 3 | DThe Battle of Helm's Deep, Aragorn, having seen Saruman's army, arrives at Helm's Deep. The Host of the Eldar arrives at nightfall. The Uruk Army soon arrives and eventually breaches the deepening wall. | |
| DTreebeard brings Merry and Pippin to Entmoot at noon. Entmoot ends at night with indecision. Later that night, Treebeard takes Pippin and Merry to the Southern border of the forest, where he sees the destruction caused by Saruman and orders an attack on Isengard. | |||
| Faramir brings Frodo and Sam to Osgiliath but is soon convinced to let them go while | |||
| 4 | DGandalf arrives at Helm's Deep at dawn with Éomer's riders, and the battle is won. Isengard is destroyed and the Ents take control, with Merry and Pippin finding Saruman’s stash. | ||
| DAfter seeing the power of corruption the Ring possesses and influenced by Sam’s words about Boromir, Faramir decides to let Frodo and Sam go, becoming their ally in the process. | |||
| D11 | DGandalf, Legolas, Gimli, Éomer, and Théoden reach Isengard at noon. Parley with Saruman in Orthanc. Death of Saruman and Grima. Pippin looks in the Palantir at night | ||
| D12-15 | DGandalf takes Pippin to Minas Tirith/Arwen, seeing a vision of Eldarion, returns to Rivendell, and convinces Elrond to reforge Narsil for Aragorn. She begins dying from Sauron's malice. | ||
| D15 | DFrodo and Sam reach Minas Morgul as the Witch King's Army, led by Gothmog, leaves for Gondor | ||
| D16 | DGothmog overruns Osgiliath while Pippin lights the Beacons of Gondor. Gollum frames Sam for depleting their food supply, and Frodo parts with his friend. Théoden and Aragorn reach Dunharrow, where the Rohirrim assemble. Elrond arrives with Anduril and tells Aragorn to leave for the Dimholt, to recruit the Dead Men of the White Mountains. | ||
| D14-17 | DBattle of Dale, Sauron's northern army besieges Erebor, killing kings Brand and Dain, but is unable to take the Lonely Mountain. | ||
| D17th | DThe Battle of Dale is won by the Dwarves. | ||
| D19 | DThe siege of Minas Tirith begins, as a maddened Denethor wishes to be burnt on a pyre with the ailing Faramir. Gandalf goes to stop him, but is held back by the Witch King until Rohirrim arrives. Gollum betrays Frodo to Shelob. | ||
| D20 | DThe Rohirrim show up at dawn and Gandalf stops Denethor from killing Faramir. Frodo is captured by Shelob and rescued by Sam, only to be captured by Orcs from Cirith Ungol. Théoden is felled by the Witch King, who is defeated by Éowyn. Aragorn arrives with the Army of the Dead, bringing victory. Orcs attack Lorien and the Woodland Realm, to no avail. Sam rescues Frodo | ||
| D25th | DDuring the Battle of the Morannon, Aragorn leads a suicide attack on the Black Gates to distract Sauron from finding Frodo, who proceeds to Mount Doom. Frodo succumbs to the Ring, but Gollum takes it from him. In fighting for the Ring, Gollum falls with it into the fire. Sauron is destroyed. Gandalf and the Eagles save Frodo and Sam and take them back to Minas Tirith. Both Merry and Pippin are knighted as Knights of Rohan and Gondor for their services. | ||
| DMay | D1 | DDuring Aragorn's coronation, he is crowned by Gandalf with everyone in attendance. He and Arwen are reunited and the people of Middle-earth thank the Hobbits for their roles in ending the war. On midsummer's eve, Aragorn is crowned King, marries Arwen, and the Fourth Age begins. | |
| DOctober | D23 | DThe Hobbits reach Hobbiton. | |
Fourth Age
| DYear | DDescription |
|---|---|
| FoA 1 | The Hobbits return home, but Frodo is still longing for The Ring and tormented by his injuries. Sam becomes the mayor of Hobbiton and marries Rosie Cotton. Their daughter Elanor is born, and Gimli becomes lord of Aglarond. Over the next couple of years, Aragorn and Éomer are busy subduing some Easterlings and Haradrim that remained hostile to Gondor. |
| 4 | Frodo finishes his writing of The Red Book of Westmarch. |
| 5 | Frodo leaves with Bilbo, Gandalf, Elrond, Galadriel, and Celeborn on the Last Ship. Sam, Merry, and Pippin return home. |
| 6 | Pippin and Merry marry Diamond of Long-cleeve and Estella Bolger. |
| 10 | Birth of Faramir, son of Diamond and Pippin. |
| 63 | Rosie Gamgee passed away today. Sam leaves for the shores of the sea, leaving the Red Book with Eleanor. |
| 123 | Aragorn passes away due to old age, and is laid to rest with Merry and Pippin. Arwen endures for another year, struck by grief and loneliness. Legolas and Gimli leave for the West. Eldarion, son of Aragorn, becomes king. |
Differences to the books
While most changes from the books refer to individual scenes, there are some changes to the very chronology of Middle-earth:
- The Battle of Dagorlad is compressed to be completed within 3434 years, whereas in the book it constitutes a prolonged siege.
- The end of the Second Age comes not with Sauron's defeat as it does in the book, but instead with the death of Isildur. This death results not only in the disappearance of The Ring, but also in the breaking of the line of kings. Legolas explicitly speaks of Isildur as "The Last King of Gondor." This makes all the later kings of Gondor from the book into stewards within the context of the films' chronology.
- Angmar's final defeat is postponed by several centuries, and it's this defeat, not Sauron's earlier banishment from Amon Lanc, which ushers in the Watchful Peace.
- Thorin's meeting with Gandalf in Bree, said to occur in March 2941 in the book, seems to have been pushed to the autumn of 2940, as it is said to have happened 12 months before the company arrives in Wilderland, and sees Bree under torrential rain.
- Because of the seventeen-year gap that was adapted out of the films, several changes to the timeline are additionally made.
- Bilbo's Birthday is moved from T.A. 3001 to 3000, or Shire Reckoning 1400.
- Gandalf is only absent for a year.
- Everyone's birthdate is different from what it is in the film, either based on estimated guessing or by subtracting the seventeen-year difference.
- The Fourth Age begins with Aragorn's coronation in mid-3002, rather than in late TA 3021. This shifts the chronology of the Fourth Age. In particular, Frodo's departure to the Grey Havens takes longer, as both Eleanor and Frodo have been born by that stage.
