Wainrider War

The Wainrider War is a long-running battle between a league of Easterling clans called Wainriders, against Gondor and the Free Men of the North.

In TA 1240, Minalcar, the Regent of Gondor, allied with Vidugavia of Rhovanion, led their armies against the Easterling clans and defeated them in a battle by the Sea of Rhûn. In an effort to strengthen the defenses of Gondor, Minalcar took the lands between the Anduin River east to the Sea of Rhûn's east coast. For six hundred years, they remained at free of the attacks brought on by the Easterlings, but the Easterling clans never forgotten their contempt against Rhovanion and Gondor. The clans again gathered and strengthened themselves, and for many years... centuries... they planned, prepared, and waited, occasionally sending out small parties of scouts to test Gondor's and Rhovanion's defences. It would be over six hundred years and many generations before they thought the time was right to strike Gondor once more.

During TA 1851, the Easterling Wainriders sent their armies against Gondor and the lands of Rhovanion, slaughtering many Rhovanions and devastating their lands. The assaults against Rhovanion and Gondor's north continued for five years. Then, King Namarcil II [1] of Gondor rallied his army with the Northmen and retaliated against the Easterlings. But the Wainriders overwhelmed the forces of Gondor and Rhovanion. Many perished, including King Namarcil and Marhari of the Northmen. The Easterlings captured Rhovanion east of Mirkwood and enslaved its people.They also gained all of Gondor's eastern lands to Dagorlad and the Emyn Muil.

The Wainrider occupation of Rhovanion was hard on its enslaved people. With Gondor weakened, no other realms opposed them, and the Wainriders aimed to use their strength and invade more lands in the west.

With occupation and slavery comes resistance, and some of the Northmen resisted or escaped. Those who could get away gathered non the River Anduin valley west of Mirkwood. They were led by Marhari's son, Marhwini. Though they grew in number, they would never be strong enough to drive out the Easterlings from Rhovanion, and they settled the lands of the northern Anduin, eventually becoming the Éothéod. They kept their allegiance with Gondor and forevermore fought against the Easterlings. With Rhovanion under the rule of the Wainriders, rebel spies would gather information on the schemes and affairs of the occupiers. The Éothéod knew of their tremendous contempt upon the enslaved people and their plan to subdue other realms.

The Éothéod learned of the Wainrider's next assault that was coming... Calenardhon. It was Gondor's northwestern territory with wide plains which were ideal for their chariots and wagons. They planned a great river crossing in two places; the North and South Undeep. The Éothéod sent riders to Minas Tirith to warn Gondor of this impending attack. Also, the Éothéod sent several small companies to infiltrate Rhovanion, and they stirred revolt among the people and further menaced the Wainriders.

The uprising in Rhovanion begins upon the Wainrider attack on Calenardhon. While the Wainriders readied their army to cross the Anduin, King Calimehtar of Gondor commanded a large number of forces from North Ithilien to engage them from the south. Because of this, the Wainrider commander changed their strategy and instead charged all their troops towards Gondor. This gave Gondor an advantage as they could unite their forces with the Éothéod and destroy the Wainriders as they were moving their army out from the Undeeps. The army of Gondor took their cavalry toward the Undeeps and assaulted the Wainriders from the rear from Dagorlad as the Éothéod reinforced them from the north. The battle ended with the victory of the Éothéod and Gondor, and the remnants of the Wainriders retreated east while a rebellion commenced in Rhovanion. The Winriders were seriously weakened, however, the revolt was not strong enough to break the hold of the Wainriders that occupied their lland. The revolt continued for years, and the people persisted in defying the invaders. Gradually the hold of the Wainriders on the western lands began to weaken.

Despite their defeat in the previous battle, the Easterlings maintained their influence in the west for forty-five years. They initiated another strategy, knowing that it would be challenging to overcome Gondor with their depleted forces. This time, they enlisted the help of the Haradrim and the tribe of Khand to the south. The Éothéod once more was able to alert Gondor of this.

In TA 1944, during the month of Cermië, the Wainriders attacked toward the south while the armies of Khand and Harad advanced north over the Crossing of the Poros River. King Ondoher of Gondor led an army to meet the Easterlings in the north while Earnil led an army to engage the invading armies coming from the south. King Ondoher moved his forces forward from Ithilien and expected to meet his foes in Dagorlad. However, the enemy forces assailed from two directions, one from the Rhun towards the Ash Mountains, composed of Wainriders and Khand warriors. The other flank was the Wainriders, who came out of Rhovanion. Because of the coordinated attack, they forced Gondor's army to the Black Gate.

During the battle, King of Gondor [2] were slain along with his sons, Faramir and Artamir. The enemies overwhelmed them, and some Men of Gondor fled south. The Wainriders invaded North Ithilien and established a camp without any resistance, and they celebrated their triumph against Gondor. However, in South Ithilien, Earnil and his army decimated the Haradrim army. Leaving a small rearguard, Earnil then stormed north through Ithilien to unite with the remnants of King Ondoher's army who fled from the lost battle. They reached North Ithilien in time to ambush the celebrating Wainriders, ravaging their army and forcing them into a devastating retreat. Many of them perished in the Dead Marshes, and some fled to the Rhun. Finally, Gondor emerged victorious in the war, though with great loss.

At the end of the Wainrider War in TA 1945; with the King and his sons' death in the battle, a claim to the throne came from Arvedui, king of Arthedain in the north, that he should be made also King of Gondor. He had married King Ondoher's daughter Firiel, and though his claim did have merit, it was rejected by Steward Pelendur, and Eärnil was proclaimed King of Gondor. With the Wainrider's utter defeat, the Easterling menace in the west was over for another five hundred years. They abandoned Rhovanion, and some of the liberated Northmen relocated to Gondor, whose people graciously accepted them as their own.

The Éothéod remained allies with Gondor and have repeatedly proven their loyalty to them. Their noble deeds in this war was remembered, for some five hundred years later in TA 2510, Gondor was again attacked by Easterlings. The Balchoth drove out of the east, and Steward Cirion sent messengers north to the Éothéod, and their Lord Eorl the Young once more answered Gondor's call for aid. They soon rode south with much of their army and came upon the Easterlings battling Gondor on the Field of Celebrant.

After defeating the Balchoth, Steward Cirion of Gondor gifted Lord Eorl the Young and the Éothéod their northwest land of Calenardhon in earnest gratitude. The territory would later became known as Rohan, and the Éothéod took the new name of Rohirrim. Their Lord Eorl the Young became the first King of Rohan, and the Oath of Eorl became Rohan's unending vow to honor their allegiance in Gondor, to come at their time of need.

1. ^King Namarcil II.
2. ^King of Gondor.