War of the Ring

The War of the Ring was the great conflict at the end of the Third Age, named for the One Ring and the importance this had in the final outcome. The war was fought between Sauron, the Dark Lord of Mordor who attempted to conquer Middle-earth as he nearly did in the Second Age; and the Free Peoples, being a loose alliance of Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits, Ents and Men led by the Wise. Saruman participated both on Sauron's side and occasionally as a 'third power' based in Orthanc.
It begun with the Attack on Dol Guldur and Battle of the Five Armies in TA 2941, which sent the conflict into a 60-year lull during which Sauron rebuilt his power, before erupting with the Attack on Osgiliath and culminate in Sauron's ultimate defeat during the Battle of the Black Gate in TA 3002.
== Background ==
===War of the Last Alliance===
In the Second Age, the Dark Lord Sauron was challenged by an alliance of Men and Elves (from Númenor and Lindon, respectively). In spite of some Men breaking their oath of allegiance for fear of Sauron, the alliance was successful. Wielding the sword Narsil, Isildur defeated Sauron in the Battle of Dagorlad in SA 3434.
However, because his Ring of Power was not destroyed but lost, Sauron's spirit endured and his servants - the nine Ringwraiths led by the Witch King - later returned to harass the kingdoms of Middle-earth.
===Angmar War===
In TA 2002, The wraiths conquered Minas Ithil in the Southern Kingdom of Gondor, launching assaults on Ithilien and Osgiliath, while the Witch King of Angmar in the North, assailed the Northern kingdoms of Arnor and raided Rhovanion. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to anyone, the One Ring was found and taken by Sméagol (now named Gollum) into the caves under the Misty Mountains.
=== The Watchful Peace===
The wraiths were ultimately banished from Minas Ithil (now renamed Minas Morgul) and, when Angmar fell in TA 2540, the nine were all entombed in the High Fells in Rhudaur.
While the period following the Sack of Angmar wasn't without conflicts and calamities (most notably, the Sack of Erebor by the dragon Smaug and the Battle of Moria), seemingly none of these were instigated by servants of Sauron or in his interest. The White Council, created to guard against Sauron's return, was largely under the impression that Sauron was vanquished and could never regain his strength, and a Watchful Peace was set in place for 400 years.
=== The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey ===
In TA 2940, Gandalf - a member of the council - stumbled upon men carrying a message promising payment for the head of the Dwarven exilarch Thorin Oakenshield, who was abroad nearby at the time. With this, Gandalf began to sense an unease as to the continuation of the peace. Worried that "darker minds" will turn towards Erebor - either to secure an alliance with the dragon or to use its wealth and position for evil purposes - he intercepted Thorin and convinced him to undertake the Quest of Erebor, which was a quest to reclaim Erebor by the dragon Smaug. He would later argue that the quest for the Dwarves to reclaim their homeland would mean that Middle-earth's armies in the East will be strengthened eager to rid Sauron's chance of using Smaug in his army. During the Quest, Gandalf noticed further signs of disquiet, which he later reported to the White Council: Trolls have come down from the Ettenmoors and raided a farm. Orcs, astride Gundabad Wargs, attacked the company in the open, along the Great East Road, coming to the very borders of Rivendell.
Most importantly, however, a Necromancer had taken up residence in the ruined fortress of Dol Guldur some time before, and his dark magic was spreading a sickness through the Greenwood. Bats and Giant Spiders were abroad and a Morgul Blade, which was known to belong to the Witch King, was uncovered by Radagast in Dol Guldur. The other members of the council (outside of Galadriel, who shared Gandalf's innate sense of "something at work [...which] moves in the shadows") largely dismissed this. Elrond, in particular, in his complacency, said its "hardly a prelude to war."
=== The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug ===
Further down the road, Gandalf saw further proof of rising evil: Azog has come out of Moria for the first time since his defeat, and payed homage to the Necromancer, rallying more and more Moria Orcs to Dol Guldur. Goblins had multiplied under the Misty Mountains, and Orcs have infested the Wilderland. Unbeknownst to him, hearing its Master's call, The One Ring - too - was recovered from Gollum, falling into the hand of Bilbo Baggins, a member of Thorin's company.
All of this compelled the wizard to investigate the High Fells, where he found the tombs opened from the inside. Now fearing that the Necromancer is Sauron himself, he went to Dol Guldur where he discovered that the last Dwarf Ring was harvested by Sauron, who was marshaling a secret army commanded by Azog. He was already in league with Smaug and intended to use him against the realms of the North while using Erebor to secure his reclaiming of the lands of Angmar.
===The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies===
The members of the White Council - informed by Radagast - came to Gandalf's rescue. The ensuing battle is the beginning of the War of the Ring. Elrond and Saruman faces the Ringwraiths and Galadriel banished Sauron to the east. Galadriel became too weakened to be a part of the physical struggle against Sauron in the war to come, and when Elrond brought her back to Lothlorien, she remained there for the duration of the conflict. Indeed, with Sauron reappearing, the power of the Elven Rings began to dwindle, with Sauron declaring that "The time of the Elves is over." Saruman took control of the situation, asking that Sauron be left to his care. He retrieved a Palantir present in Dol Guldur. Sauron and Azog's army (and a second army led out of Gundabad by Bolg), however, was already en route to the Lonely Mountain and attacked the armies of Elves, Men and Dwarves which were marshaled there for the Siege of Erebor.
The Battle was lost when Azog used it for his own ends, setting a trap for Thorin which ended up costing both their lives during the Ravenhill Skirmish. With Azog defeated, Bolg slain by Legolas and the Gundabad Army thwarted by Beorn, Sauron had suffered a temporary defeat.
=== Interlude ===
In the intervening years, Sauron returned to Mordor and began multiplying Orcs and rebuilding his tower of Barad-dur. Saruman went to Isengard to keep a watch, but using the Palantir he confiscated in Dol Guldur eventually resulted in him being convinced by Sauron's superiority and submitting himself to the Dark Lord.
Gandalf and Legolas joined a young Aragorn who, along with the sons of Elrond, helped cleanse Eriador of evil creatures left over from the Angmar Wars. Aragorn later travelled under pseudonym to Rohan, where he rode to war with Thengel, and to Gondor where he served the steward Ecthelion in the fight against Sauron. The stewards of Gondor kept the forces of Mordor at bay in Ithilien.
Meanwhile, the High Elves began leaving for the Grey Havens. In TA 2994 Orcs retook Moria from Balin, news of which had even arrived at the the Shire within a couple of years.
=== The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring ===
In TA 3000, Gandalf returned to the Shire from untold ventures against Sauron and his agents. Attending Bilbo's Farewell Party, he became aware of the corrupting effects of Bilbo's Ring and compelled the Hobbit to leave it behind for his cousin, Frodo Baggins. He left again to look for answers.
In the quest to hunt for Gollum, Gandalf called upon the Dúnedain ranger Aragorn (the secret heir of Isildur) to help him track down Gollum in order to learn more of the nature of Bilbo's Ring. However, Sauron caught him first and extracted Bilbo's name and whereabouts from him. In TA 3001, Sauron launched an attack on the ruins of Osgiliath, which was soon reclaimed by Boromir, son of the Gondorian steward, which reignited the war.
Gandalf tracked Gollum's trail, reaching the borders of Mordor and learning that Sauron is marshaling an army and rebuilding Barad-dur. He did not know, however, that Sauron had sent the Nine Ringwraiths towards the Shire. Gandalf then turned to the library of nearby Minas Tirith, finding information that would later help him prove that the Ring is indeed Sauron's. Returning to the Shire in September, he set Frodo off with the Ring towards Bree while he went to convene with Saruman in Isengard. As Elrond was informed of this, he called upon delegates of all the races of Middle-earth to take counsel in Rivendell. Gandalf was delayed after being held captive by Saruman, bringing news that the wizard is marshaling his own army. Frodo arrived later still, chased by Ringwraiths. Delegates from Erebor, Dale, Gondor and the Woodland Realm convened and the Fellowship of the Ring was formed to help Frodo destroy the Ring in the fires of Mount Doom. This included Gandalf, Aragorn, Boromir of Gondor (secretly sent by his father to bring the Ring to Gondor), Legolas, Gimli, Sam, Merry and Pippin. During the first leg of their quest, the Fellowship took part in the Battle of the Mazarbul Chamber against the Orcs of Moria, and in the Battle of Amon Hen against Saruman's Uruk-Hai, where the company was partially disbanded. Lothlórien, too, was attacked by Orcs chasing the company out of Moria, and Frodo even beheld a future in which the War was won by Sauron and the Shire was spoiled by his servants.
===The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers===
Meanwhile, Sauron used Saruman as a puppet to attack the people of Rohan, while Sauron himself mustered Easterlings and Southrons (some of which were intercepted in Ithilien by Faramir, brother of Boromir) in preparations to launch an assault upon Gondor. Saruman's hordes of Uruk Hai and disgruntled Dunlendings burned many villages in the Westfold and destroyed a Rohirric army led by prince Théodred (himself mortally wounded) in the Battle of the Fords of Isen. In preparation of a large-scale assault, Saruman also harassed the nearby Ents of Fangorn, burning a portion of their forest to feed the furnaces required to forge armor for his troops.
Against this threat, King Théoden - with Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli at his side - decided to lead his people out of Edoras and into the Fortress of Helm's Deep. In spite of a Warg attack, they arrived and barricaded themselves against Saruman's army.
Meanwhile, Osgiliath was attacked again, but the enemy seemed to withdraw when The Ring (taken with Frodo into the ruins of the city) was borne out of it.
In Battle of Helm's Deep of aid from Lothlorien under Haldir, sent by Elrond, the Rohirrim very nearly lost to Saruman's forces in Helm's Deep before Gandalf arrived with reinforcements. Meanwhile, the Ents - egged by Merry and Pippin - were enraged into attacking Isengard itself, eliminating Saruman from effecting the future course of the War. Nevertheless, as Gandalf summarized, the great battle for Middle Earth's future was only about to begin.
=== The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King ===
With a Palantir secured from Saruman, Pippin accidentally saw a glimpse of Sauron's plan: fearing Aragorn's impending return to the throne of Gondor, and suspecting that the Ring was taken to its capital of Minas Tirith, Sauron was in a hurry to besiege and raze the city. Indeed, shortly afterwards the Witch King marshaled an army out of Minas Morgul, led by Gothmog. Feigning to move out of the eastern shore of Osgiliath, the Orcs used boats under cover of night to launch a surprise attack on Faramir's garrison. While engaging the Gondorian soldiers on the shore, they placed a wooden bridge over the city's demolished causeway, which allowed them to assault it in large numbers and push Faramir back. Meanwhile, Gandalf used Pippin to light the beacons and call upon Théoden to help in Gondor's defense. All the while, during the Battle of Dale, as suspected by Legolas, Orcs and Easterlings attacked the Woodland Realm and Dale, but were held back by the Kings Thranduil, Brand and Dáin in great loses. The heirs of the latter two kings, Bard II and Thorin III Stonehelm pushed the enemy back. Attacks were made on Rivendell, too, but were repelled.
During the attack on Pelargir, in Théoden's camp, Aragorn learnt of the approach of the Corsairs of Umbar, who would tip the scales of the battle even further in favor of Sauron. He was compelled by Elrond to wield Anduril - the reforged Narsil - and recruit the help of the Men of the Mountains (cursed to endure as undead for their lack of fidelity to Isildur), which he did, intercepting the corsairs shortly after they sailed past and assailed Pelargir.
In the Battle of Pelennor Fields, Gothmog lay siege to Minas Tirith. After exchanges of catapult fire being the Orcs and Men, the Nazgul - now astride winged Fell Beasts - took out Gondor's trebuchets, allowing for Siege Towers to approach the city walls and engage its defenders. The gate, however, was impregnable for the Orcs standard rams, before Gothmog had Grond wheeled unto the field.
Breaching the city, he ordered his forces to move in and "kill all" in their path. Gandalf led a retreat to the second level of the city and faced the Witch King before the Rohirrim arrived at the break of dawn. They cut through the Orc ranks, but were matched by the Haradrim and their Mumakil. Théoden was mortally wounded by the Witch King's mount, but his niece Éowyn - having joined the battle in disguise - defended her uncle and, with the aid of Merry, dispatched the Witch King. Just then, Aragorn arrived with the Army of the Dead on the Corsair Ships, tipping the scale of the Battle.
However, the war was not over, however, as Sauron still had as many as ten thousand Orcs scattered across Gorgoroth. Aragorn offered to use their remaining forces to draw out this force, giving Frodo a chance to carry the Ring through Mordor and destroy it in Mount Doom.
The plan nearly failed when Frodo and Sam, disguised as Orcs, were marched towards the Black Gate, where the forces of Gondor and Rohan were mustered. The Hobbits managed to sneak out of the mass of Orcs, however, and continued on their trek across Gorgoroth, while the Mouth of Sauron tried to fool Aragorn into thinking Frodo was in fact captured and killed.
The plan was successful in distracting Sauron until Frodo - consumed by the Ring - claimed it to himself. However, the intervention of Gollum who was tracking the Hobbits in an attempt to reclaim his Ring, caused it to fall into the fires of Mount Doom and be destroyed. The army of Mordor was in part destroyed in the ensuing cataclysm and in part fled the horror of it.
=== Aftermath ===
After the Battle of the Black Gate, Aragorn was crowned King and married Arwen, daughter of Elrond. Thorin III and Bard II inherited the kingships of Erebor and Dale, respectively, and the Hobbits returned to the Shire, where Sam married Rosie Cotton and became mayor. Aragorn established the Reunited Kingdom, and later sired a line through his son Eldarion.
However, the destruction of the Ring drained the power of the three Elven Rings, and with the departure of Elrond, Galadriel and Celeborn to the West, the realms of Lothlorien and Rivendell were depopulated. The death of Saruman and departure of Gandalf also meant the end of the Order of the Istari, and with Frodo and Bilbo joing the wizard and Elf-Lords, the Ringbearers too would leave Middle-earth indefinitely.