The History of Arda
Valian Years Years of the Lamps Years of the Trees Years of the Sun
Ages of the Children of Ilúvatar First Age Second Age Third Age Fourth Age and later
Final Battle
Timeline of Arda

The Fourth Age and the later ages that followed it, are time periods from J. R. R. Tolkien's universe of Middle-earth, described in his fantasy writings. In J R R Tolkien 's Legendarium, the history of the Fictional universe of Eä began when the Ainur entered Arda, following the In the works of J R R Tolkien, the Valian Years are used to measure the passage of time after the arrival of the Ainur in Arda. In the fiction of J R R Tolkien, the Years of the Lamps are the first of the three great time-periods of Arda. In JRR Tolkien 's Middle-earth Legendarium, the Years of the Trees are one of the three great time-periods of Arda. In the fiction of J R R Tolkien, the Years of the Sun are the last of the three great time-periods of Arda, together with the Years of the Lamps and In the fiction of J R R Tolkien, the Ages of the Children of Ilúvatar chronicle major events in the history of the Eruhíni. In the fiction of J R R Tolkien, the First Age, or First Age of the Children of Ilúvatar in full is the first documented time period and the setting The Second Age is a time period from J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth fantasy writings The Third Age is a time period from J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth fantasy writings The Fourth Age and the later ages that followed it are time periods from J The Dagor Dagorath, Sindarin for 'Battle of Battles' or 'Final Battle' is an event described in the works of J This article includes several chronologies relating to J R R Tolkien 's Legendarium. Middle-earth refers to the fictional lands where most of the stories of author J Because most of his fiction concerning Middle-earth deals with earlier ages, there is relatively little material on these later ages that followed the Third Age. The Third Age is a time period from J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth fantasy writings

The Fourth Age followed the defeat of Sauron and the destruction of his Ruling Ring, but did not officially begin until after the Bearers of the Three Rings left Middle-earth for the Uttermost West. Sauron (ˈsaʊrɒn Quenya: /sawrɔn/ literal meaning "Abhorred") is the title character and the principal Antagonist of the Fantasy The Three Rings of the Elves of Eregion are fictional magical artifacts in J Valinor (meaning Land of the Valar) is a Fictional location from J ^[1]

Some events of the first centuries of the Fourth Age can be gleaned from the Appendices, and follow below.

Contents 1 Men 2 Elves 3 Dwarves 4 Others 5 The Fellowship 6 Later centuries 7 Later Ages 7.1 Speculation concerning Later Ages 8 Notes and references 9 External links

Men

Realms of Men prospered, as the re-united Númenórean kingdoms in exile (as the Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor) fully recovered under Elessar and later Eldarion. The race of Men in J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth books such as The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, refers to Númenor (ˈnuːmɛnɔɹ is a Fictional place in J R R Tolkien 's writings which the author intended to be an allusion to the legendary Atlantis. The Reunited Kingdom of Arnor and Gondor is a Fictional realm from J Aragorn II is a fictional character from J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth Legendarium. See also House of Telcontar Sources Tuckboroughnet mentions the following parts of Tolkien's work as source for Eldarion Lasting peace was made with former Mannish enemies: at least some Easterlings and Haradrim either became allies, or even became part of the Reunited Kingdom; in the appendices it states that Éomer fulfilled the oath of Eorl by riding with Elessar to war on the plains of Harad and beyond the sea of Rhûn, so fighting would continue with at least some of the Men who had allied with Sauron in the past. In the fiction of J R R Tolkien, " Easterling " and " Easterlings " were generic terms for Men who lived in the east of Middle-earth Appearances Literature Éomer of the House of Eorl, was the son of Théodwyn and Éomund, a Chief Marshal of the Riddermark. This is a list of kings of Rohan from the Fictional universe of Middle-earth by J In J R R Tolkien 's Fantasy legendarium, Harad ( Sindarin: South, in Quenya: Hyarmen) was the name for the Many former slaves of Sauron were freed, and given land in Mordor around the sea of Núrnen for their own. Sauron (ˈsaʊrɒn Quenya: /sawrɔn/ literal meaning "Abhorred") is the title character and the principal Antagonist of the Fantasy In J R R Tolkien 's Fictional universe of Middle-earth, Mordor (from Sindarin Black Land and Quenya Land of Shadow Minor places in Middle-earth#Place Name -->;Place name description1 Further description prefix with Allied realms such as Rohan and Esgaroth also prospered, as did the protected enclaves of the Shire and the Woses of Ghân-buri-Ghân. Rohan, is a fictional realm in J R R Tolkien 's Fantasy era of Middle-earth. History In the year 2941 of the Third Age the town was attacked by the dragon Smaug, but Bard the Bowman, who had indirectly learned The Shire is a region of J R R Tolkien 's fictional Middle-earth, described in The Lord of the Rings and other works In J R R Tolkien 's Legendarium, the Drúedain are a fictional race of Men which were counted amongst the Edain. Ghân-buri-Ghân, or simply Ghân, is a character in the epic fantasy The Lord of the Rings by J

Elves

After repulsing three great assaults from Dol Guldur during the War of the Ring, the elves of Lórien subsequently managed to rid the forest of Mirkwood of any evil (which mostly resided in Dol Guldur). Dol Guldur ( Sindarin: "Hill of Sorcery" was Sauron 's stronghold in Mirkwood in the fictional world of J In the fictional Fantasy -world of J R R Tolkien, the War of the Ring was fought between Sauron and the free peoples of Middle-earth In J R R Tolkien 's Legendarium, an Elf is an individual member of one of the races that inhabit the lands of Arda. Mirkwood is a name used for two distinct fictional forests in J It is also said that Celeborn took many boats of elves, ready for war down the river Anduin and attacked Dol Guldur for, Galadriel herself threw down its walls and lay bare to its pits; thus the forest was cleansed. Appearances Literature Celeborn's ancestry is not exactly certain In J R R Tolkien 's fictional Middle-earth, Anduin is the Sindarin name for the Great River of Wilderland, the longest River Appearances Literature Stories of Galadriel's life prior to The Lord of the Rings are collected in the Unfinished Tales. Later on, Celeborn and Thranduil met in the midst of the wood and named it Eryn Lasgalen. In literature Thranduil first appears in The Hobbit as the Elvenking, when Bilbo and the Dwarves enter his relm in the northern part The Silvan realms in Eryn Lasgalen (Thranduil's realm and Celeborn's East Lórien) seem to have expanded somewhat, although much of its population gradually departed to the West. Mirkwood is a name used for two distinct fictional forests in J In literature Thranduil first appears in The Hobbit as the Elvenking, when Bilbo and the Dwarves enter his relm in the northern part Valinor (meaning Land of the Valar) is a Fictional location from J The Grey Havens and with it the rest of Lindon were abandoned, save for Círdan and a few others, who remained behind. The Elven ports of Mithlond or the Grey Havens was an Elvish port on the Gulf of Lune in the northwest of J The First Age Círdan may have been among the Elves who awoke at Cuiviénen, although Tolkien never explicitly states this anywhere For at least a while an Elven colony founded in Ithilien was led by Legolas. Gondor is a fictional kingdom in J R R Tolkien 's writings described as the greatest realm of Men in the west of Middle-earth by the end of the Appearances Literature Legolas was the son of Thranduil, King of the Woodland Realm of Northern Mirkwood, who appears as "the Elvenking"

Dwarves

The Dwarves of Durin's Folk prospered in Erebor, and there are indications Gimli led a group of dwarves to Aglarond. In J R R Tolkien 's Fictional universe of Middle-earth, Durin's folk or the Longbeards, were the most important folk of Dwarves. In J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth Legendarium, the Lonely Mountain ( Sindarin Erebor) is a Mountain in the northeast Character overview Gimli was a Dwarf of Durin's Folk who volunteered to accompany Frodo Baggins as a member of the Fellowship of the Ring Mining expeditions were sent to Khazad-dûm where mithril was again mined, used to restore the gates of Minas Tirith, but Khazad-dûm was not immediately recolonized. In the fiction of J R R Tolkien, Moria was the name given by the Eldar to what had once been an enormous underground complex in north-western Middle-earth This article is about the city in the Third Age. For the First Age tower of the same name see Minas Tirith (First Age. There are however indications that a Durin the Last later did rebuild this Dwarven Kingdom, returning Durin's Folk to their ancestral homes. This article is about characters in JRR Tolkien's legendarium Apparently the Dwarven race began to dwindle by the end of the Fourth age, for their women made up less than a third of their population. Often, the women would want a husband that they couldn't have and so would not marry. Similarly, many Dwarven men were too engrossed in their crafts and did not have the time to take a wife and have children. Their ultimate fate is unclear.

Others

Orcs and Trolls fled to the far east, and never really recovered. In J R R Tolkien 's Fantasy writings Orcs or Orks are a race of creatures who are used as soldiers and henchmen by both the greater and lesser villains In J R R Tolkien 's world of Middle-earth, Trolls are very large (twelve feet tall or more humanoids of great strength and poor intellect Either during Eldarion's rule or near the end of Aragorn's, there was some talk of "Orc-cults" although these seem to have been founded and run by humans. ^[2]

The Ents apparently never found the Entwives again. Ents are a fictional race of humanoid Trees from J R R Tolkien 's fantasy world of Middle-earth. Aragorn granted them Fangorn Forest as an enclave and gave them permission to expand the forest again west into the vast wastes of Eriador where once a vast primeval forest had spread, but Treebeard lamented that while the forests may spread again the Ents would not. Over time they dwindled off and more of them became increasingly "tree-ish" and it does not appear that they ever enter into the affairs of other races again (it is unclear if a non-communicative tree-ish Ent can be considered "dead" or if in a sense they persist to the present day).

The Fellowship

Of the remaining members of the Fellowship of the Ring, it is recorded that Samwise Gamgee became mayor of the Shire, and was an advisor of King Elessar. The Fellowship of the Ring, or Company of the Ring, as described in the first volume of The Lord of the Rings, which bears the same name is Samwise Gamgee, later known as Samwise Gardner and commonly known as Sam, is a Fictional character in J His daughter Elanor became one of Arwen's handmaidens. Literature Arwen was the youngest child of Elrond and Celebrían; her elder brothers were the twins Elladan and Elrohir. Near the end of his life he is believed to have left for Valinor on one of the last ships of Círdan. Valinor (meaning Land of the Valar) is a Fictional location from J The First Age Círdan may have been among the Elves who awoke at Cuiviénen, although Tolkien never explicitly states this anywhere

Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took became Master of Buckland and Thain of the Shire respectively in due time. Meriadoc Brandybuck, usually referred to as Merry, is a Fictional character from J Biography Pippin was the only hobbit who had not yet reached his 'coming of age' when the Fellowship set out (being eight years younger than Merry while Frodo himself was 50 They remained in close friendship with the royal houses of Rohan and Gondor. When of advanced age they departed for Gondor and Rohan together, and both died around F. A. 64. They were buried in Rath Dínen. In J R R Tolkien 's fictional Middle-earth Legendarium, the Rath Dínen ( Sindarin for Silent Street is a Necropolis, the pathway

Legolas is said to have eventually built a ship, and to have sailed to the West. According to many, Gimli left with him—the only Dwarf to ever do so—evidently out of his desire to once more see Galadriel. Character overview Gimli was a Dwarf of Durin's Folk who volunteered to accompany Frodo Baggins as a member of the Fellowship of the Ring Appearances Literature Stories of Galadriel's life prior to The Lord of the Rings are collected in the Unfinished Tales.

Later centuries

Tolkien's writing does not provide information on more than the first few centuries of this age, so it is not known when it ended. It is stated that the Fourth Age was when Men became dominant and powerful in Middle-earth, and the Fading of the Elves began. In J R R Tolkien 's Legendarium, an Elf is an individual member of one of the races that inhabit the lands of Arda. As such, the Fourth Age marks the bridge from the fantastic fictional pre-history of earth to the real history.

Later Ages

Tolkien said that he thought the time between the end of the Third Age and the 20th century AD was about 6000 years, and that in AD 1958 it should have been around the end of the Fifth Age if the Fourth and Fifth Ages were about the same length as the Second and Third Ages. He said, however, in a letter written in 1958 that he believed the Ages had quickened and that it was about the end of the Sixth Age/beginning of the Seventh. ^[3]

Speculation concerning Later Ages

While Tolkien originally described Middle-earth as a fictional early history of the real Earth he later adjusted this slightly to describe it as a mythical time within the history of Earth. This 'mythical' distinction served to remove the stories of Middle-earth from any specific time period where they might contradict known details of actual history.

Determining the epoch of a Fifth Age is important for those who apply the Tolkien calendar to present dates. For example, Issue 42 of Mallorn, the journal of The Tolkien Society (August 2004), carried a lengthy article analysing all the available data and concluding that the Years of the Sun began on March 25, 10160 BC, the Second Age on December 26, 9564 BC, the Third Age on December 24, 6123 BC, and the Fourth Age on March 18, 3102 BC. The Tolkien Society is an educational charity formed in 1969 dedicated to furthering interest in the life and works of J The Tolkien Society is an educational charity formed in 1969 dedicated to furthering interest in the life and works of J Events 1199 - Richard I is wounded by a crossbow bolt while fighting France which leads to his death on April 6. The Upper Paleolithic (or Upper Palaeolithic) is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe Africa Events 1481 - Battle of Westbrook - Holland defeats troops of Utrecht. Events 563 - The Byzantine church Hagia Sophia in Constantinople is dedicated for the second time after being destroyed by Earthquakes During the 7th millennium BC, Agriculture spreads from Anatolia to the Balkans. Events 37 - The Roman Senate annuls Tiberius ' will and proclaims Caligula emperor Events c 3150 BC — According to the legend Narmer ( First Dynasty) started to rule in Ancient Egypt. On this scheme the Fifth Age is equivalent to the Anno Domini system of dating. ^[4]

Notes and references

External links

1. The Encyclopedia of Arda
   • Fourth Age
2. The Chronology of Middle-earth (article from Mallorn 42)
3. The Fourth Age: Total War- a Rome: Total War total conversion

See also: Timeline of the Fourth Age. The Letters of J R R Tolkien (ISBN 0-618-05699-8 is a selection of J Houghton Mifflin Company is a leading educational Publisher in the United States. This article includes several chronologies relating to J R R Tolkien 's Legendarium.

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