By the time of the War of the Ring, the throne of Gondor is empty, though its principalities and fiefdoms still pay deference to the absent king by showing their loyalty to the Stewards of Gondor. After an early period of growth, Gondor gradually declined as the Third Age progressed, being continually weakened by internal strife and conflict with the allies of the Dark Lord Sauron. Along with Arnor in the north, Gondor, the South-kingdom, served as a last stronghold of the Men of the West. The history of the kingdom is outlined in the appendices of the book.Īccording to the narrative, Gondor was founded by the brothers Isildur and Anárion, exiles from the downfallen island kingdom of Númenor.
The third volume of The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, is largely concerned with the events in Gondor during the War of the Ring and with the restoration of the realm afterward. Tolkien's writings, described as the greatest realm of Men in the west of Middle-earth at the end of the Third Age.
