War of the Ring

The War of the Ring

The war was initiated by Sauron, who had gained strength since the end of the Second Age and sought the One Ring. During the War of the Ring, many thousands of Men of Rohan and Gondor were killed. The overall number of combatants in the war is estimated to be over a million; tens of thousands from the side of the Free Peoples and hundreds of thousands from the Evil side. The war also signified the decline of the Elves' power in Middle-earth, the rise of Men in the West, the restoration of the King of Gondor and Arnor and the start of the Fourth Age.

Major conflicts arose within Gondor and Rohan, and these were the battles focused on within the Lord of the Rings books. However, there were also conflicts across much of northern Middle-earth such as Lórien, Mirkwood, and at Erebor (the Lonely Mountain) and the surrounding city of Dale. These were primarily waged against Sauron's forces, but Saruman, a third contender, also had bred armies of Uruks, who fought battles at the Fords of the Isen and Helm's Deep.

The war ended after the Battle of Bywater and, shortly afterwards, the deaths of Saruman and Gríma Wormtongue. Towards the end of the War of the Ring, Elessar was crowned King of Gondor, and forgave the Men who had fought under Sauron, heralding a great renewal of cooperation and communication between Men, Elves, and Dwarves.

Source

War of the Ring entry Wikipedia: [1]