Valacar Formendur
Biography: Valacar Formendur
 | |
|---|---|
| Birth - Death | Third Age 1194–1432 |
| Race: | Man |
| Gender: | Male |
| Ancestor(s): | Anárion ⁞ |
| Parent(s): | Rómendacil II Minalcar |
| Valacar Formendur | |
| Child(ren): | Eldacar Vinitharya |
| Descendant(s): | ⁞ Aragorn |
| Info: | 20th King of Gondor |
King Valacar Formendur (Quenya for Vala-helm North-servant) was the 20th King of Gondor, ruling from 1366 to 1432 of the Third Age. To strengthen Gondor's alliance with the Northmen, his father Rómendacil II brought many Northmen into his service and cultivated a close relationship with Vidugavia, King of the Northmen. As part of this policy, Valacar was sent in his youth to Vidugavia's court as Gondor's ambassador, where he learned the language and customs of the Northmen.
During his time in Rhovanion, Valacar fell in love with Vidugavia's daughter Vidumavi, noted for her courage and nobility. They married and had a son, Vinitharya, later known in Gondor as Eldacar. Although the family returned to Gondor after several years, their union drew disapproval from many Gondorian lords who feared that a mixed lineage would diminish the Númenórean blood of the Royal House. Vidumavi, having the shorter lifespan of the Northmen, died in III 1332 before Valacar became King, and her early death further fueled suspicions about the durability of the royal line.
Valacar ascended the throne in III 1366 after the peaceful and respected reign of Rómendacil II. Though Valacar governed for 66 years, his rule was increasingly troubled by unrest among southern provinces that opposed Eldacar's eventual succession. Hostility toward the prince's Northman heritage grew into open rebellion late in Valacar's reign. Upon his death in 1432, these tensions erupted into the Kin-strife, a civil war that consumed Gondor for fifteen years until Eldacar regained the throne.
Valacar was succeeded by his son Eldacar. He was later honored with a statue and plaque in the Workers' Tier of Minas Tirith.