Aldamir
Biography: Aldamir
 | |
|---|---|
| Birth - Death | Third Age 1330-1540 |
| Race: | Man |
| Gender: | Male |
| Ancestor(s): | Anárion ⁞ |
| Parent(s): | Eldacar Vinitharya |
| Aldamir | |
| Child(ren): | Hyarmendacil II Vinyarion |
| Descendant(s): | ⁞ Aragorn |
| Info: | 23rd King of Gondor |
King Aldamir (Quenya for Tree-jewel) was the 23rd King of Gondor, ruling from T.A. 1490 to 1540. The younger son of Eldacar Vinitharya, Aldamir inherited the throne after a lifetime shaped by the turmoil of the Kin-strife, the civil war that divided Gondor during the reign of his father. His rule was marked by renewed conflict in the south, particularly against the rebellious lords of Umbar and their allies in Harad.
Aldamir was born in T.A. 1330 during the reign of his grandfather Valacar. He grew up in a kingdom troubled by political division, as many among the proud Dúnedain resented the mixed heritage of his father Eldacar, whose mother Vidumavi came from Rhovanion. These tensions eventually erupted into the Kin-strife after Valacar's death in T.A. 1432. During that conflict Aldamir's elder brother Ornendil was captured and executed by order of Castamir the Usurper when the rebels seized Osgiliath. The loss of Ornendil ensured that Aldamir would become heir to the throne once the war was ended.
The Kin-strife ended in T.A. 1447 when Eldacar returned from exile and defeated Castamir at the Battle of the Crossings of Erui, slaying the usurper. Though Eldacar reclaimed the crown, the consequences of the war endured. The sons of Castamir fled south and seized control of Umbar, establishing a powerful corsair realm that remained hostile to Gondor for generations. Aldamir therefore inherited not only the throne but also a long-standing vendetta between the royal house and the exiled heirs of the Usurper.
When Eldacar died in T.A. 1490, Aldamir succeeded him as king. His reign lasted fifty years and was dominated by warfare along Gondor's southern frontiers. The Corsairs of Umbar, descended from Castamir's followers, grew into a formidable maritime power and allied themselves with the Haradrim beyond Gondor's borders. These enemies harried Gondor's coasts and threatened its southern provinces, forcing Aldamir to devote much of his reign to military campaigns against them.
The struggle culminated in open war between Gondor and the southern coalition. During one of these campaigns Aldamir himself was slain in T.A. 1540 at the age of 210. His death came before the conflict could be resolved, leaving the struggle against Umbar and Harad to his successor.
Aldamir was succeeded by his son Hyarmendacil II Vinyarion, who continued the war and eventually achieved a decisive victory over the Haradrim in T.A. 1551. In celebration of that triumph Vinyarion took the regnal name Hyarmendacil II, “South-victor,” avenging both the long struggle against Gondor's southern enemies and the death of his father.