Scouring of the Shire

The Scouring of the Shire was an event that took place in the Shire at the end of the War of the Ring, and was the only time the Shire was attacked during the Great Years.
== History ==
=== Background ===
While Frodo Baggins and company were away, Lotho Sackville-Baggins began a massive land grab with the money he had made from Pipe-weed sales to Saruman at Isengard. This gave him great power. Lotho, now calling himself the Chief, began to stretch forth his authority and sought to control the Shire for himself. With help from Dunlendings and Goblin-men sent by Saruman, Lotho took over control of the Shire, imprisoning many, including important folk. He then began industrializing the once green and agrarian Shire, causing much damage. Soon Saruman arrived and took full control and Lotho was deposed, imprisoned, and later killed by Wormtongue. The pace of destruction greatly increased afterwards.
Before returning to the Shire, Frodo Baggins and his companions stayed overnight at The Prancing Pony in Bree where they caught up on the last year's local events with the proprietor Barliman Butterbur. They learned that strangers from the South had come to settle in and around Bree, much to the discomfort of the peace-loving Men and Hobbits indigenous to the region. Barliman was impressed to discover that Strider has been crowned King of Gondor. There was also a fight in Bree between Bill Ferny's friends and some Bree-men such as Mat Heathertoes, who were then driven out.
Gandalf took the four Hobbits - Frodo Baggins, Sam Gamgee, Meriadoc Brandybuck, and Peregrin Took - part way to the Shire but detoured to have a long talk with Tom Bombadil. He assured the four that their training in the War of the Ring would be sufficient to settle the troubles.
=== The Battle of Bywater ===
When they discovered that the evil they had fought had come home to roost, they roused the Shire and were able to kill or drive off the evil-doers that infested it. With the assistance of Farmer Cotton, Merry and Pippin led the Battle of Bywater, the last battle in the War of the Ring, in which 19 hobbits and 100 Ruffians were killed; the remaining Orcs and Ruffians retreated away from Hobbiton.