Battle of the Field of Celebrant

The Battle of the Field of Celebrant was fought in TA 2510 between the Balchoth and Orcs of Mordor against the outnumbered army of Gondor, with the timely aid of the Eótheód led by Eorl the Young. The battle took place on the wide plain between the Rivers Anduin and Celebrant, north of Lothlórien. The victory saved Gondor from destruction and led to the granting of Calenardhon to the Eótheód, where they founded the kingdom of Rohan.

Background

In the early third millennium of the Third Age, Gondor was greatly weakened by plague, war, and kin-strife. The Balchoth, an Easterling people allied with Sauron, began raiding across the Anduin into Calenardhon, then a sparsely populated province of Gondor.

In TA 2510, the Balchoth launched a full invasion across the Anduin, reinforced by Orcs out of the Misty Mountains. The Steward of Gondor, Cirion, mustered his forces but was badly outnumbered. He sent riders north to the Eótheód, who dwelt in the upper Vales of Anduin, seeking their aid.

The Battle

Steward Cirion’s army met the Balchoth on the Field of Celebrant, but was driven back and pressed between the enemy and the Great River. Defeat seemed certain when Eorl and the Riders of the Eótheód suddenly appeared, having ridden swiftly down the Anduin Vale.

Eorl’s cavalry charged into the flanks of the Balchoth, breaking their lines. Together, the armies of Gondor and the Eótheód scattered the invaders, slaying many and driving the rest into the Anduin or back across the river. The Orcs accompanying them were also routed.

Aftermath

The victory saved Gondor from ruin at a time of great peril. In gratitude for their deliverance, Steward Cirion granted to Eorl and his people the wide lands of Calenardhon, which had become depopulated after the Great Plague. The Eótheód accepted, migrating south and establishing the kingdom of Rohan, with Eorl as its first King.

The Oath of Eorl was sworn between Cirion and Eorl, binding the friendship of Gondor and Rohan. This alliance endured for the rest of the Third Age.

Legacy

The Battle of the Field of Celebrant was remembered as the turning point in the history of the Eótheód, transforming them into the Rohirrim. For Gondor, it preserved the realm during a time of decline and secured a lasting alliance with its northern allies.