The Kings of Gondor – Part Six – The Kin Strife

Hail and Well Met Friends!

I know it’s been a while since our lest episode in the Kings of Gondor series and I do apologize for the long wait.  My schedule has been insanely busy lately, but I’m back on schedule with everything and you can expect regular episodes again.

When we left off last episode, we had just concluded the reign of Valacar and with his age came the rebellion of the coastal lands.  When he passed it brought a blood bath of a civil war called the Kin Strife among the people.

The Kin Strife

This week we pick up with his son Eldacar which was born as Vinitharya in the Kingdom of Rhovanion.  In 1260 of the Third Age he was brought to Gondor by his father. His reign saw the breaking of his people and the start of a civil war.  He was the son of princess Vidumavi, a daughter of the Northmen, King Vidugavia. After ascending the throne in 1432, he reigned for five years when he was deposed and driven from Osgiliath into exile to Rhovanion by a distant vile relative.  While Eldacar was exiled he slowly gathered support from the Northmen and the Dunedain from the northern parts of Gondor.  This army that Eldacar had gathered had a mass hate for the one who overturned the throne, and exiled Eldacar.  They hated this man because he executed Eldacar’s firstborn son, and they wanted revenge.

The great-grandson of King Calmacil, Castamir was not in line for the throne, but his royal background had made him the Lord of Ships under the previous king, Valacar. His lineage and influence left him in a position to challenge the current king, Eldacar, who was only half Numenorean.  As King Valacar’s only son, Eldacar was the legitimate heir to the throne, but his half Rhovanion lineage angered citizens who believed that pure Numenorean blood must be maintained. Capitalizing on the protest of the people against the the current king, Castamir was able to incite rebellion and surrounded Eldacar within the city Osgiliath 1437 of the Third Age. The city was set on fire by Castamir’s troops, destroying the famed Dome of Stars. Shortly thereafter, Eldacar fled the city and into exile in Rhovanion, to the north.

The Taking of a Kingship

With the defeat of the king, Castamir seized the throne.  For ten years Castamir ruled Gondor with an iron fist, while Eldacar quietly regained power. Castamir ruled cruelly, and committed many foul deeds, including executing Eldacar’s own son, Ornendil. At first the people of Gondor tolerated Castamir because of his pure Numenorean blood. Then, in 1447, Castamir, now called “The Usurper” by his people was overthrown after a decade of wicked rule with the people now rallying around the true king, Eldacar. He was slain by Eldacar’s forces at the Battle of Erui, the battle of the Kin-strife as which it came to be known for the rest of time.

Castamir’s influence did not end there though. Some of his forces, and surviving sons, retreated from the Battle of Erui to the port of Pelargir and escaped by ship to Umbar, far to the south. These descendants of Castamir became the so-called “Corsairs of Umbar”, the great pirates who terrorized the ports of Gondor. They were perhaps the greatest threat to Gondor for nearly 400 years, commanding massive fleets of ships. Their most infamous exploit was the Raid of Pelargir in 1634, in which a Corsair fleet led by Castamir’s great grandsons Angamaite and Sangahyando‎ sailed up the river Anduin to the port of Pelargir. This raid coincided with King Minardil’s visit in which he was slain by the attacking Corsairs.

The Corsairs remained a significant threat until 1810, when King Telumehtar retook Umbar for Gondor. After the victory Telumehtar was known as Umbardacil, which literally means “victor over Umbar”. In this battle the last descendants of Castamir were finally killed.

Until next weeks episode, I’m your host Iogro Merrybelly and I bid you a fine farewell!