Anórien (Arnor-Gondor)

Anórien Anórien
Province of the Kingdom of Gondor
Flag Coat of arms
Etymology: Land of the Sun
Nickname:  King's Land
Anórien in Fo.A. 275.
Country	Reunited Kingdom of Arnor and Gondor
Realm	Kingdom of Gondor
Establishment	S.A. 3320
Founded by	Anárion
Seat	Minas Anor
Government
• Type	Direct rule
• King of Gondor	Tar Eldarien
• Steward	Arodion of the House of Hurin
• Lord Chancellor of the Royal Estates	Anadil Telcontar
Population  (Fo.A. 250)
• Total	350,000

Anórien (Sindarin for Land of the Sun) is a Province in Northern Gondor. It lays north of the White Mountains and south of the Entwash. Anórien forms a narrow strip of land consisting of the valleys of the White Mountains, and its borders are the Mering Stream in the west with Rohan, and the Mouths of the Onodló in the north. Its eastern border is the Anduin. The riches of Anórien and the nature of royal demesne of the far majority of its land make it a crucial instrument of power in the hands of the High King.

Geography

Anórien lays north of the White Mountains and south of the Entwash, forming a narrow strip of land consisting of the valleys of the White Mountains. Its borders are the Mering Stream in the west with Rohan, and the Mouths of the Onodló in the north. Its eastern border is the Anduin.

The orography of Anórien is dominated by the Ered Nimrais range, which constitutes the southern border (its northern slopes unitl 24 Fo.A. being outside the Province), and by the Onodló to the north. This makes Anórien a fertile fluvial plain, with no highlands or hills. Some minor streams flow from the Ered Nimrais to the Onodló, including the Mering, and from local springs to the Anduin. The absence of northern barriers allows flowing of northern winds and rains to the region.

This land contains the Drúadan Forest (Tawar-in-Drúedain) - under the protection of the Reunited Kingdom since its earliest days - and fertile farmlands, dominated by the royal demesne. Osgiliath and Minas Anor are geographically part of Anórien but are independently governed by the King. Except for military forts used as administration centres, there are no other major cities but, following the line of the North-South Road that led through Rohan to Arnor were built the Warning beacons of Gondor.

History

The history of Anórien is interwined with the history of Gondor itself. First inhabitants were the aboriginal Woses, who fled to the forests of Anórien, hunted by the Men of Darkness. In S.A. XXXIV Century, Anórien was populated with Faithful refugees escaping from persecution in Númenór. In S.A. 3320 Gondor was established under the joint kingship of Anárion and Isildur. Modern Anórien's eastern portion was chosen by Anárion and it was formally established as Anárion's personal demesne in S.A. 3334. Despite being the bulwark against Wild Men and any other offensive, the land prospered for almost 100 years. In S.A. 3429 Sauron attacked Gondor and sparked off the War of the Last Alliance. In the early stages of the War, Sauron's forces took Minas Ithil and advanced towards Osgiliath, the capital city, and Minas Anor. Anárion managed to halt the dark forces on the Anduin. In S.A. 3434 the war was over save for the siege of Barad-dûr, which lasted until S.A. 3441.

Part of a rising empire

The beginning og the Third Age saw a long rise of the Gondor's power and wealth. Tar Ostoher took a keen interest in Anórien and inaugurated the royal presence in Minas Anor, which was enlarged and rebuilt. In T.A. 468, Ostoher reorganized Anórien (or its eastern portion) into three districts: Iaur Anórien, Cîr Anórien and Anmethed.
The Easterling wars of the T.A. V and VI Centuries did not reach Anórien, being fought in Rhovanion or in Ithilien. Nonetheless, they confirmed the vital importance of a steady supply base. In the following centuries, the centre of gravity of Gondor shifted to the Sea. Pelargir arose in importance while Osgiliath dwindled. Although the interior north of the White Mountains was not the main concern of the great Ship-Kings, Calenardhon was slowly colonised and Anórien expanded westwards. Around T.A. X Century, Cîr Anórien became less a wild frontier and more a settlement area.

Estrangement between East and West

After some centuries of uneventful life, the shadow of war appeared again at the horizons of Anórien. In T.A. 1248 Regent Minalcar soundly defeated Easterlings and broke their power in Rhovanion. While not touched by the war, Anórien again operated as a supply source. However, the events sparked off by Minalcar were destined to involve also Anórien. King Valacar married Vidugavia's daughter Vidumavi, who generated Eldacar. King Eldacar faced open rebellion in the southern fiefs of Gondor. Civil war erupted in T.A. 1432. Beside the rejection of a King of mixed blood, the southern regions rebelled against a King deeply rooted in the internal provinces where mixed blood was slowly becoming a reality and whose needs and interests had little in common with the Coast and the South.
Eldacar gathered many of the Dúnedain from the northern parts of Gondor. His forces were augmented by the people of Calenardhon, Anórien, and Ithilien. In this he was aided by the cruelty and lack of generosity of Castamir, and by Castamir's disdain for the land with his plan to remove the seat of the King to Pelargir. The Kin-strife ended in T.A. 1447 and resulted in a massive immigration of Northmen, as well as in a rebalancing towards the interior of Gondor. The prosperity of Anórien was brought to an halt with the Great Plague of the T.A. XVII Century. As the Great Plague spread, cities were evacuated and many fled to Ithilien and Anórien. In T.A. 1640 Tarondor permanently relocated the King's House to Minas Anor. In the meanwhile, Calenardhon's population declined.

On the forefront

In T.A. XIX Century things began to change. In T.A. 1851 the Wainriders invaded Rhovanion and in T.A. 1886 King Namarcil II was killed in battle. The Gondorian border retreated to Anduin, and Anórien found itself on the front. In T.A. 1899 Calimehtar defeated the Wainriders, gaining 45 years of respite. However, in T.A. 1944 the Wainriders launched a new, coordinated attack and slain King Ondoher. Although in the end the eastern invaders were defeated, the border remained on the Anduin and Anórien became a border march.
When in T.A. 2050 the Royal Line became extinct, little did change for Anórien save for a renewed colonisation push westards and a little more than nominal change in administrative status. By T.A. XXV Century, Armaelig and modern-day Penn Nimrais were formally added to Anórien. Ruling Stewards upheld the land with the care due to the King's royal demesne and as part of domains entrusted to them. With the increasing insecurity of Ithilien, Anórien increasingly became a centrepiece in Gondor's grand strategy, being the northernmost province populated enough to provide the mounting of a serious defence.
Ruling Steward Cirion faced the Balchoth who tried to invade Gondor. Cirion managed to fend off the threat by mustering the aid of the Northmen Éothéod. In recognition of the support, and as a move to forge a strong alliance, Cirion ceded the Éothéod the now-depopulated Calenardhon. This marked the birth of Rohan and moved the Gondorian border to the Mering Stream and to the Entwash. This move caused Anórien to become a border province, albeit northern and western borders were garrisoned by steadfast allies. The change caused a Northern culture influx over Anórien, especially in Mering, then almost uninhabited, and a moderate wave of resentment in eastern Anórien. Proximity to the borders, as well as troubles caused by the Dunlendings, both caused a militarisation of Anórien not witnessed since the long-gone days of the War of the Last Alliance. As part of the renewed attentions for Anórien, in T.A. 2864, Ruling Steward Thorondir renamed Cîr Anórien into Ened Anórien. In T.A. XXIX Century, Orcs took refuge in Ered Nimrais, and had to be eradicated. This increased the insecurity of Anórien, to the point that Ruling Steward Túrin II fortified the isle of Cair Andros to defend Anórien.

War in Anórien

By the time of the War of the Ring, Anórien was one of the few fiefs which was dominated by the Dúnedain of Gondor. Specifically, in Minas Tirith and the adjacent townlands Sindarin was still known and used as a daily language. The War of the Ring struck Anórien hard. Osgiliath fell in T.A. June 3018 and the line of control receded from the Anduin for the first time in Gondor's history. In T.A. March 3019 two offensives reached Minast Tirith and, passing Cair Andros, Anórien. However, the latter host was harassed by the Woses and did not pose a major threat. Despite the presence of the Sauron Orcs, a wave of refugees was sent in Anórien. The Osgiliath Defence and the Siege of Minas Tirith, including the Battle of Pelennor, devastated the eastern point of Anórien.
On T.A. 17 March 3019, a 3,000-strong Rohirrim force attacked and routed the Sauron host blocking the West Road in Anórien. In the following days the remanants of the Anórien offensive retreated to the strongpoint in Cair Andros. On T.A. 21 March 3019 the island was attacked by another force (originating from the Army of the West) and by 23 March every pocket of resistance was eliminated. The line of control was thus reestablished on the Anduin.

Securing the frontier

The War of the Ring eliminated any immediate threat to Anórien. Yet the region still represented the frotnier, and even North Ithilien was not under the control of Gondor. In late T.A. 3020, Stweard Faramir launched the scouring of North Ithilien. Minas Tirith and East Anórien, still packed of refugees from the southern provinces, were the staging grounds for the offensive. Osgiliath was liberated in the very opening phase of the campaign, and the force penetrated in the Emyn Arnen. By early T.A. 3021, a line of control was established between the Emyn Arnen, where a series of watchtowers was quickly built, and the Ephel Duath. Yet the open plains of Rhovanion were not under the control of anyone. Therefore, Rohan deployed some Éoreds in order to provide a reaction force in support to the joint garrison of Cair Andros.
In Fo.A. 11 a major stronghold (Forannonost) was established in the proximity of the ill-famed Black Gate of Morannon. Forannonost still is the guard to North Ithilien against north-eastern invasions, should a force overcome the Gondorian Rhovanion.

The following decades were marked by a sort of rebirth of the land. While the Woses were never heard or seen again, the local population steadily increased and, by the end of the Fo.A. I Century, a flow of emigrants and settlers started to leave the province to colonise Enedwaith. Since the beginning of the phoenomenon, such settlers have been mostly of Northern or mixed blood, while more pure Dúnedain have tended to remain.

Finally, in 150 Tar Eldarion separated Minas Tirith from Anórien.

Government

Political map of Anórien in Fo.A. 275.

Anórien is both a Province and, in its almost totality, part of the Crown Lands of the King of Gondor. This dual nature is reflected in his government. Anórien is ruled directly by the King of Gondor in his capacity as Heir of Anárion, not being related to the capacity as Heir of Isildur nor to those as Heir of Elendil. While the three titles coincide, the authority in Anórien is not vested in the High King of Arnor and Gondor nor by the King of Arnor.
The King of Gondor has absolute authority within his home province. Assisting him is the Steward and, for daily affairs, the Lord Chancellor of the Royal Estates of Anórien, who is always a close relative of the King, usually a younger son. The incumbent Lord Chancellor of the Royal Estates is Anadil Telcontar, third child and second son of Tar Eldarien Telcontar. The Lord Chancellor is assisted in details of administration by his staff, drawn from his family and members of the nobility.
The Province contains the Drúadan Forest: it is a land completely free from the Reunited Kingdom of Arnor and Gondor, but placed under its protection. Among the chief political responsibilities of the Lord Chancellor is the absolute preservation of the Forest.
The Province itself is divided into six Proprietary Districts, and into four military regions under the Drann Dagarim Anórien. All Garnen Drannin are part of the vast Onodló valley, while the four military regions coincide with the four massifs hosting the seven Warning Beacons of Gondor.

Proprietary Districts

Proprietary Districts (Legal Sindarin: Garnen Drann, pl. Garnen Drannin) are each administered by a Condir-i-Drann, who also acts as administrator in the name and on behalf of the landowner - the King himself. The Condir is assisted by a Chamber Secretary who deals with the economic management of the assets of the royal demesne. The Condir also exercise the functions of liegelord on the King's behalf and at the King's pleasure. Each individual estate has its own administrator deputysing the Condir and the Secretary.
Villages (Gobel) are directly subject to the relevant Condir-i-Drann and managed by an Assembly of Elders headed by a commissioner appointed by the Condir within the Assembly itself.
Mering, the westernmost Drann, borders with Rohan's Fenmark, once part of the eastern fringes of Anórien itself. Mering is a dull land, the epitome of West Anórien. There the Rohirrim influence is stronger and marriages between Gondorians and Northmen are not so uncommon. The Drannn seat of Mering is in Barad Milui, established in T.A. 2515 in order to provide a steady mustering point for Rohirrim forces.
Penn Nimrais is the Drann occupying the foothills north of the Ered Nimrais and is headquartered in Ostmen, on the Great North-South Road. This district is noted for the wine and the game it provides. Culturally speaking, its Northmen influence is slightly weaker than Mering, but it is also renown for horse herding, although not at Rohan's levels. Foothills are also occupied by the few estates not in the King's hands, and they are home to small yet ancient nobility.
Ened Anórien, Iaur Anórien and Anmethed are the most ancient parts of Anórien. They were made Anárion's personal demesne in S.A. 3334. These Drannin are among the most noble, wealthiest and most loyal regions of Gondor, and there lays a significant part of the King's political strength. In T.A. 468 the King's Wealth was subdivided into the current three Drannin, with Iaur Anórien including Minas Tirith and the Pelennor Fields. In T.A. 2864, Ruling Steward Thorondir renamed Cîr Anórien into Ened Anórien. Finally, in 150 Tar Eldarion separated Minas Tirith from Anórien. The culture and the mood of these three Drannin are almost purely Dúnadan and, together with Pelargir, Old Anórien set the definition of what being a Gondorian actually means.
Ened Anórien government is based in Erelost. It is a placid region whose speciality is to be the grain basked of Gondor. Its foothills are bisected by the North-South Road and are punctuated by sparse and small towns. The floodplain is sparsely but evenly populated and very few settlements are greater than a large village. A similar population pattern is enjoyed by Anmethel, while Iaur Anórien is more thickly populaed. While Anmethel is completely flat, just south of the right bank of Anduin, Iaur Anórien, while not including the Drúadan Forest, does include the Stonewain Valley, although it is formally entrusted to Drúedain and of no economic use. Iaur Anórien is governed by Minas Anor.
Armaelig is the northenmost Drann of both Anórien and of the Kingdom of Gondor within the Reunited Kingdom. It lies between two branches of the Onodló. It is a land of marshes and its seat of government is Arbâr.

Military regions

Anórien is of strategic importance in ensuring Gondorian - and Westerner - capability to project power in Rhovanion and in Rohan. Furthermore, should Rhovanion be compromised, it would form the internal defensive belt. This strategic significance has been confirmed, through the centuries, by the construction of a series of beacon towers which relay messages between Gondor's capital and the plains of the Calenardhon and, following the coming of the Rohirrim, of Rohan. Without the security of Anórien, the whole Gondor would be scarcely defendable. The commander of the Drann Dagarim Anórien is in charge of supervising defences of Anórien, as well as of Cair Andros.

The four military regions coincide with the four massifs hosting the seven Warning Beacons of Gondor: Eilenach; Nardol; Erelas; Min-Rimmon; Calenhad; the Halifirien. They are directly subject to the commanders of the relevant garrisons, who are in turn subordinate to the commander of the Drann Dagarim Anórien.

Economy

Anórien is the original personal demesne of Anárion in Gondor, and after him the royal demesne of his heirs, the Kings of Gondor. Most land in Anórien is held by the King and distributed in fief, some possessed directly by nine noble houses, referred to as the Nine Companions of Anórien.

The region is a fertile province long considered the grain-basket of Gondor, tucked around the eastern tip of the White Mountains. The absence of northern barriers allows flowing of northern winds and rains to the region. Nonetheless, Anórien is enough warm and sunny to allow a pleasant climate and a flourishing agricolture.

The foothills of the White Mountains are famous for the high-quality marble which they produce. Industry is well established in Minas Anor. Not only does Minas Anor send its products to other lands, but it receives a vast share of the trade entering Gondor. The city guards the juncture of several trade routes, and it benefits from its location. All traffic north of the White Mountains on the Old North Road, the main artery of communication with Arthedain and Cardolan, passes through Minas Anor. South of the city, the road turns south and west, linking Anórien to provinces south of the Ered Nimrais. Across the Anduin, there is easy access to the roads of the East, which link the Gondorian province of Ithilien to territories in Rhovanion and the land route to Harad.

Culture

Coat of arms of the Stewardship of Anorien, as granted by Ruling Steward Belegorn in T.A. 2156.

Before the Númenorean colonization the region was inhabited by Middle Men. Later, with the coming of the Dúnedain, most of them were driven out and the Westerners made up the majority of the population for centuries. The Dúnedain population suffered a sharp decline in numbers, and later many Northmen moved there. Few Anórien men today could call themselves purebred Númenoreans, and a Rohan-influenced culture flourishes there.

Anórien is a conservative agricultural region. Farmers quietly go about their business as they have done for centuries. The province is internally subvidivided into Old Anórien, the eastern part adjacent to Minas Anor, and West Anórien, bordering with Rohan. These two regions have not direct government significance, but retain several cultural differences.
Old Anórien is the region which was first included in the Anarión's personal demesne, and the area historically most connected to Minas Anor and to Osgiliath. It includes the areas of Talath Anor, Pelennor, and Minas Tirith. Only Talath Anor is still included within Anórien, while Pelennor and Minas Tirith are ruled separately. However, these regions share the very same culture. The plains of Talath Anor stretch between the Anduin to the east and the Drúadan Forest to the west, just north the Outwall of the Pelennor Fields. The North-south Road leads through this area, connecting Minas Tirith to the rest of Anórien, and Rohan. In Old Anórien the Dunedain culture is stronger, and people pride themselves of purer Dúnadan blood and Númenorean ancestry. Traditions are held fast, living styles are rural but nonetheless fine and proud. From an ethnic point of view, Old Anórien is not of pure Dúnadan blood by Belfalas standards, but are more pure than other lands.
While Old Anórien is mostly directly owned and subject to the direct liege-lordship of the King, noble mansions are dotted around the Pelennor and the presence of both local and foreign nobility favours local trade and a more pronounced intellectual activity.

West Anórien is adjacent to Old Anórien, as well as East and West Rohan. It contains the areas of the Beacon Hills and Drúadan Forest, as well as the major part of the land. The westernmost strip is also referred to as the New Border. After the Great Plague, Anórien in general and its western lands in particular saw immigration of Northmen, but newcomers were easily integrated and eventually absorbed. The major cultural shift occurred in XXVII Century T.A., when the Éothéod moved to deserted Calenardhon. The arrival of the Rohirrim caused the diffusion of several new traditions and customs, eventually creating a sort of cultural buffer zone. Inhabitants of West Anórien retained their identity of Gondorians, but also absorbed a certain, war-like flavour from their eastern neighbours.
From an ethnic point of view, inhabitants of West Anórien are more of Northmen lineage than of Dúnadan stock.

See also

• High King of Arnor and Gondor
• Kingdom of Gondor of the Reunited Kingdom (Arnor-Gondor)
• Reunited Kingdom of Arnor and Gondor