The Complete Timeline of Middle-earth

[Music]

But when they were coming to the Void, Aluva Tock said to them, "Behold your music," and he showed to them a vision, giving them sight where before was only hearing.

They saw a new world made visible before them. It was a globe amid the void, and it was sustained therein but was not of it.

As they looked and wondered, this world began to unfold its history, and it seemed to them that it lived and grew.

Greetings and well met, my friends! Joist in here, and I hope you all are doing well wherever you are in Middle-earth.

Today, we shall be endeavoring to accomplish one of the most far-ranging and important videos that this channel has ever seen: the telling of the general and broad history of Middle-earth, from the music of the Ainur and the creation of Arda through what we know of the Fourth Age.

Now, it would be impossible to capture the whole of the history of Middle-earth in this one video, so that is where my timeline of Arda series comes into play, as well as my many other videos in that series.

We explore major parts of the history of Middle-earth in greater detail.

This video will cover the basic and general information in each major age of Middle-earth, and it shall serve to contextualize the peoples and events of the different ages.

Many specific characters and events will not be named herein, but that does not diminish their contributions to the legendarium.

Rather, I will mention the peoples and events that I find most important throughout each age.

I should also say that even though Tolkien marked the history in different years of different ages, before the coming of the Sun and Moon at the beginning of the First Age, each year was far longer in that time than each year was under the Sun and Moon.

This means that Valinorian years were longer than solar years.

I'll have to make a separate video about that for more information.

Now, I'll link some related videos and timeline articles that helped with the creation of this video, and I cannot praise those articles enough for their aid in this endeavor; they are very helpful.

This video won't list many of the years specifically in which events occurred, as listing those many dates would overcomplicate this video, but those linked resources should have many of the specific dates for events if you are curious.

Also, as with every video, a huge shout out and thanks to the online artists who made this video possible.

If your work is featured in this video, please send me your name, a link to your work, and a timestamp of your work in this video, and I will place all of that in the description below to credit you.

It's the least I could do.

I'll also weave timestamps in the comments below to help you jump all around this video.

Now, without further delay, let us begin our extraordinary tale, my friends.

Let us start with the beginning.

This was the Ainulindalë, the music of the Ainur.

The Ainur were the Holy Ones and the offspring of the thoughts of Ilúvatar, the God and One above all.

In ages hence, some of these greater Ainur would be the Valar, while other lesser ones would be the Maiar, and some would not even go into Middle-earth.

The Ainur were spirits who had the Flame Imperishable and true life within them, although at this point in time, they did not have physical bodies.

In this time, before the creation of Arda, the created world, there was Melkor, who of the Ainur had the greatest knowledge and power, and he wandered into the void searching for the Flame Imperishable so that he might make life of his own.

Melkor never found the Flame, for it was with Ilúvatar.

Then came a music amongst the Ainur, and Ilúvatar acted as its conductor, and even through the harmony and unison came the discord of Melkor.

From this music came a vision of the world and the children of Ilúvatar.

Among the Ainur were many, such as Manwë, the noblest of the Ainur and the perceived brother of Melkor; Ulmo, who was most deeply instructed by Ilúvatar, taught in music, and he was enamored with the waters and seas.

There too was Aulë, who had been given skill and knowledge, but less than Melkor, and his pride was in making and crafting, and his thoughts were with the fabrics and materials that made up the world.

After Ilúvatar made the world, he sent the Flame Imperishable into the void that was to be the heart of the world.

Some of the Ainur went into that world, and their powers became bound to it.

Some of the mightiest of the Ainur first came into the world, and they were the Valar, the powers of the world.

They took shape to themselves and began to forge the world into a place habitable for the children of Ilúvatar.

Varda, the wife of Manwë, created the stars.

The Valar would call to them companions to help in the crafting of the world, these being the Maiar.

Melkor tried to claim the world as his own kingdom, thus starting the strife between him and the other Valar, especially Manwë, his brother, who would not let him have it.

The Valar and Melkor would have a first battle, and they labored to create, and he desired to destroy.

But the Valar would make the world ready, indeed, although not in their fullest desires because of Melkor's doings, and so Arda came into being.

Now we enter into the years of the Lamps.

After the coming of Tulkas, the strong one of the Valar, Melkor fled and forsook Arda.

For a time, there was then peace, and the Valar created the two lamps.

One lamp was created in the north, named Elenna, and one in the south.

It was a time of change, less day in Arda, and the Valar rested from their labors on the island of Almaren.

It was a time called the Spring of Arda.

But eventually, Melkor returned from beyond the walls of night with servants, and he created a tomb, now his fortress in the north.

From there, a sickness came upon the land, and the Valar knew of his return.

Then he came forth and brought ruin to the two lamps and cast down their pillars, bringing fire and other devastations to the lands of Arda.

The Arda was marred and always will be.

The Valar would then depart from Middle-earth and go west, where the land of Valinor would be established.

Manwë would rule there, and his great Eagles would be his messengers.

In Valinor, the two trees would be created from the song of Yavanna, the husband of Aulë, and the tears of Nienna, the Lady of Sorrow and the sister of Mandos, the Doomsman.

Thus, there would again be light in Aman, and a new age would come.

Melkor wielded cold and fire in the darkness in Middle-earth, but there was a new safe haven in the West.

Ilúvatar pondered on the ever coming of his two children, Elves and Men.

The Elves, the Quendi, they would have conceived the greatest beauties of all his children.

They would be forever bound to the world, and even in death, they would return to the halls of Mandos in the West to be returned to life in time until the end of the world.

Men, the Atani, would seek beyond the confines of the world and venture to shape things beyond the vision of the music of the Ainur.

They would live for short times upon the world and leave the world at their deaths and take part in the second music of the Ainur.

Thus decided all of this.

In such a time, we come now to the years of the Trees.

From now through the Fourth Age, I will organize my summaries a little bit differently.

I shall discuss the main characters first and then some of the major events after I've mentioned those main characters that take part in such events.

Like in the ages past and through the end of the First Age, the Valar and Maiar would be important in the years of the Trees.

After the awakening of the Elves, we have Ingwë, the king of the Vanyar Elves; Finwë, the king of the Noldor Elves; and Elwë, the king of the Teleri Elves.

Fëanor, Fingolfin, and Finarfin are the sons of Finwë, and they are important in this tale, as are their children.

Also, Melkor, or as he's later named Morgoth by Fëanor, who is no longer recognized as one of the Valar, and his ally Ungoliant come into play during these years as well.

In terms of events during the years of the Trees, we have the creation of the Dwarves by Aulë and the adoption and gift of life to them by Ilúvatar.

They were put to rest until the coming of the Elves.

In contrast, the Ents would also be created through the advocacy of Yavanna, the giver of fruits.

Of course, eventually, the firstborn children of Ilúvatar would awaken in Cuiviénen under the stars, and Oromë, the hunter of the Valar, would find them.

Some of these Elves would be taken and corrupted by Melkor, creating the first Orcs, a mockery of the Ents.

Trolls would also be created at some point.

Sometime after the awakening of the Elves, Dwarves and Ents would also come to be, and the Longbeards who followed Durin founded Khazad-dûm in Middle-earth.

After the awakening of the Elves, the Valar took up mastery of Arda once again and assailed Melkor.

Angband was commanded by Sauron, who in years or ages past turned to the service of Melkor, and it was raised but not fully explored by the Valar, and many dark things dwelt in its vaults due to that fact.

But the tomb was destroyed also, and Melkor was taken captive by the Valar.

Melkor would be imprisoned for three ages.

During the years of the Trees, the Elves would then eventually send Ingwë, Finwë, and Elwë as ambassadors to Valinor before the Eldest moved there.

Not all Elves would actually end up coming to Valinor, for many of the people of Elwë, or Thingol, as he would eventually be known, stayed in western Middle-earth.

Olwë and other Elves did not even go that far.

The Elves dwelt for a time in Valinor, and from them would come great works such as the Sun, which was crafted by Fëanor using the light of the two trees.

Eventually, Melkor would be released from his imprisonment under the guise of change, and his plots and lies would go out and cause distrust and aggression amongst the Noldor Elves.

Eventually, Melkor would depart the land and make an unholy alliance with Ungoliant, the spider who was a spirit from beyond Arda.

Together, during a festival in Valinor, they destroyed the two trees and fled into Middle-earth.

Once Melkor slew Finwë and took the Silmarils from the House of Finwë, this alliance would be dismissed after a small battle for the Summer Isles took place between Melkor, now called Morgoth by Fëanor, his Balrogs, and Ungoliant.

Ungoliant fled southwards, and Morgoth went with his Balrogs back to Angband, where the Dark Lord rebuilt.

Then the Oath of Fëanor and his sons would be made, and many of the Noldor, including his half-brother Fingolfin and his followers, went into exile.

Some, such as Fingon, Fëanor's full-blooded younger brother, Finarfin, stayed in Valinor.

The Doom of the Noldor would be pronounced by Mandos, which would shape the Elves during the First Age, and the first Kinslaying would happen at Alqualondë.

Fëanor's sons would steal the Elven ships and take them into Middle-earth, while Fingolfin took the other Elves into Middle-earth through way of the icy Helcaraxë.

Fëanor would be slain in battle in Beleriand by the Balrogs of Morgoth, and the Moon and Sun would first come into being and rise above the horizon, for there were vessels driven by Maiar, and they were the remains of the two trees of Valinor.

That brings us finally into the First Age of Middle-earth.

Again, we shall begin with an introduction to the major characters before looking at the history.

Many of the main characters we have in the First Age are Elves, some of which are Fingolfin, his sons Fingon and Turgon, the children of Fëanor, Fëanor's sons, and Galadriel, as well as Aegnor, the son of Finarfin, and Elrond, the son of Eärendil.

We also have the Dark Elf, Eöl, and his son Maeglin.

The seven sons of Fëanor are Maedhros, Maglor, Celegorm, Caranthir, Curufin, and Amrod.

There's also Thingol, formerly known as Elwë, and his wife Melian, the Maia, and their daughter Lúthien.

We also then have people from the race of Men, such as Bëor, Hador, and Haleth, the three heads of the houses of the Edain.

From the houses of Men come Beren, Húrin, and Tuor, renowned half-elves: Elrond and Elros.

As for the Dwarves, King Durin the Deathless and Mîm the petty dwarf are important characters.

The notable servants of Morgoth are Sauron, Glaurung the werewolf, and his son, Ancalagon the Black, the father of the dragons, and Gothmog, the Lord of the Balrogs.

Now, as you can see from that huge list of characters, there is a lot that happens in this age, and arguably more individual events take place in the First Age than any other age, except perhaps the Third, although it is not the longest age.

So I will once more briefly summarize.

After the coming of the Noldor from Valinor, Morgoth was eventually pushed into a siege in Angband.

During the first year of the age, Men awoke in Hildórien in the Far East, and eventually, they would make their way into Beleriand.

Before the long peace, the Elves expanded and created kingdoms such as Gondolin and Nargothrond.

Eventually, the dragon Glaurung was seen, but he was shortly after defeated and retreated into Angband, thus beginning the long peace.

The greatest conflicts during this time seemed to be quarrels instead of battles, such as Fingolfin discovering the Kinslaying and hating the sons of Fëanor, or Aredhel, the daughter of Fingolfin, being slain by her husband Eöl, the Dark Elf, before being slain himself in Gondolin.

Men eventually began to appear in Beleriand, and many of them became friends of the Elves, starting with the friendship between Bëor and Finrod Felagund.

But eventually, Morgoth broke the siege on Angband, and Glaurung once again emerged, but far stronger.

From then on, the Free Peoples began to suffer larger defeats in their war against Morgoth.

However, there were some grand and renowned deeds that took place, such as the quest of Beren and Lúthien that saw a Silmaril stolen from Morgoth's crown.

But there were also many sad tales in contrast, such as the tale of the Children of Húrin and the fall of both Nargothrond and Gondolin, and the ruin of Doriath.

The age also saw more Kinslayings by the children of Fëanor in pursuit of the Silmarils.

Eventually, near a time when all seemed lost, Eärendil and his wife Elwing, who yet had the Silmaril of Beren and Lúthien, came to Valinor and begged for aid from the Valar.

Then a great armament was taken up by the West, which would come eastward, and then in the War of Wrath, Morgoth was defeated once and for all, and he was cast outside of the walls of night, thus ending the War of the Jewels that had started in the years of the Trees.

After the war, one Silmaril was in the sky with Eärendil, one was in the earth with Maedhros, and one was in the sea where Maglor had cast it.

At the end of the age, a choice between being of the kindred of Men or Elves was given to the Half-elves, and Elros chose to be a Man, and he would lead his people to Númenor in the Second Age, while his brother Elrond would be the herald of the new and final High King of the Noldor, Gil-galad, for Elrond himself had chosen to be an Elf.

Sauron fled the destruction of his allies and went into Middle-earth.

The war had seen the downfall and destruction of Beleriand, and so our characters also came into Middle-earth, and the First Age was ended.

We come now to the Second Age.

Our major characters here are the Elves: High King Gil-galad, his Herald Elrond Half-elven, Cirdan the Shipwright, Galadriel, Celeborn, King Oropher and his son Thranduil, King Thingol of Doriath, and King Amdir and his son Amroth of Lothlórien.

Finally, among the most important Elves, there is Celebrimbor, the grandson of Fëanor and the son of Curufin.

Concerning important Men, we have Elros Tar-Minyatur, the first king of Númenor; Ar-Pharazôn, the last king of Númenor; and Isildur, the High King of Gondor and Arnor, and his sons, Anárion and Elendil.

For the Dwarves, we know Durin III, who received Durin's Ring, one of the seven Dwarven Rings of Power.

Finally, concerning evil, there is only one really worth knowing in this age, and he is Sauron, or Annatar, the Lord of Gifts, as he appeared to the Elves.

I should also mention his Nazgûl are important servants of his as well.

Concerning the history of this age, Elros led the Edain, or Men of the West, to Númenor, where they lived for millennia.

The Elves dwelt in Middle-earth, and many of them, under the kingship of Gil-galad, who ruled from Lindon.

Some Elves went with Celebrimbor into Eregion.

Eventually, Annatar, a fair being who called himself the Lord of Gifts, came forth and taught the Elves of Aulë and ring-craft, eventually resulting in the creation of the nine Rings of Power for mortal Men, which would create the Nazgûl; seven Rings for Dwarves, which increased their wealth and their greed; and the three Elven Rings were also created and were not tainted by Sauron, and they garnered healing and good qualities but were still subjected to the power and domination of the One Ring.

Finally, the One Ring was crafted and mounted by Sauron himself, made to control all of the others.

The nine Men fell under his sway, but the seven Dwarves were too hardy to be turned, but greed and lust for wealth came to them, and the three Elves sensed that they were deceived and took their rings off.

Thus, the War of the Elves and Sauron began, resulting in the death of Celebrimbor and the creation of Mirkwood, Rivendell as the stronghold of the Elves.

In the Second Age, by the decree of the White Council, with the aid of the Men from Númenor, Sauron would be pushed back for a time.

Eventually, he angered the Númenóreans once again, and they would take him captive.

With his deceitful ways, he rose to a place of power during the darkening of Númenor and convinced the king Ar-Pharazôn to send forth an army to the Undying Lands to fight the Valar for immortality.

This failed, and Númenor was drowned, and the world was made round or different by Ilúvatar himself, so that only some could find the Straight Road to Aman.

Some faithful Men survived the downfall of Númenor and came into Middle-earth and created the kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor.

With them came the descendant of the White Tree, whose ancestors went back to the years of the Trees, the Palantíri of the Elder Days, and other items such as the Ring of Barahir from Finrod, the Sceptre of Annuminas from Númenor, and Narsil forged by Telchar in the First Age.

Eventually, Sauron returned, and the Free Peoples made the War of the Last Alliance upon him, resulting in the deaths of Oropher of Greenwood, Amdir of Lothlórien, and Gil-galad, Elendil, and Anárion.

The One Ring came to Isildur, and the age came to its end.

We finally come to the Third Age, the most famous age of Tolkien's works.

The major actors in this age from the Elves are Elrond, Galadriel, Celebrimbor, Thranduil, and Legolas.

From the race of Men, we have Isildur, Eärendil the Young, Théoden the Steward, Bard the Bowman, Faramir, Aragorn Elessar, and Boromir.

We have the Wizards: Saruman, Gandalf, and Radagast, who are important, as well as for the Dwarves: Dáin Ironfoot, Thorin Oakenshield, Gimli Elf-friend, and Thrain.

Among the Hobbits, Smeagol or Gollum, Bilbo Baggins, Frodo Baggins, Sam Gamgee, Pippin Took, and Merry Brandybuck are some of the greatest heroes of the age.

In the larger history of the world, from the forces of shadow, we have Sauron, the Lord of the Rings, Gollum's Bane, Smaug the Golden, the Witch-king of Angmar, and the other Nazgûl.

Now let's jump into the history of this age.

At the start of the age, Isildur met his end in the Gladden Fields, and the Ring was lost for thousands of years.

The kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor were afterwards ruled by different kings: Arnor from the line of Isildur and Gondor from the line of Anárion.

Around the year 1000, the Wizards came into Middle-earth.

Throughout a majority of the age, Gondor saw battle from Umbar in the south, Harad, and Rhûn in the east.

As for the Dwarves, they would live and prosper in Khazad-dûm until the awakening of Durin's Bane in 1980, and afterwards, they would go to Erebor, the Lonely Mountain.

The kingdoms of Men declined in power through plagues, wars, and other things, and Gondor would eventually lose Minas Ithil to the Nazgûl, and Osgiliath would no longer be the capital as Minas Tirith became the new capital.

Eventually, Arnor split into three kingdoms and was destroyed by the Witch-king in the Angmar War, and Gondor also lost its line of kings, and the Stewards began to rule.

After 1000, the Greenwood Forest soured, and Sauron eventually went to Dol Guldur but was ousted by Gandalf, a member of the Third Age's White Council.

A little over a thousand years later, for Sauron was not yet ready to emerge, so he fled to the east, marking the Watchful Peace.

During the middle of the Third Age, the Hobbits began to become more well-known in Middle-earth as many of them migrated from near the northern Anduin into the Shire.

Eventually, a Hobbit by the name of Smeagol received the One Ring and held it for himself, and Sauron returned to Dol Guldur.

Smeagol became known as Gollum, and he lived in the Misty Mountains for years.

The Men of Rohan in the north, then called the Éothéod, after much of the kingdom of Rohan was destroyed, came to the aid of Gondor in the Battle of the Field of Celebrant against the Easterlings, and for their aid, the land of Calenardhon would be given to them, and it would be called Rohan thereafter.

The Éothéod removed there, and they were called the Rohirrim, the Horse-lords.

Eventually, in the later years of the Third Age, Smaug would go to Erebor and take the Lonely Mountain from the Dwarves.

King Thror would be slain years later by Orcs, igniting the War of the Dwarves and Orcs, and the Dwarves of all lands would gather and eat the Orcs, but they would not retake Khazad-dûm.

Thrain eventually was taken prisoner by Sauron's forces in Dol Guldur, and the final Dwarven Ring of the Seven would be lost to the Dwarves, as Durin's Ring was taken by Sauron in 2941.

Dwarves led by King Thorin Oakenshield would embark with Bilbo Baggins on a quest to retake Erebor, and during this quest, Bilbo found the One Ring in Gollum's cave.

During that same year, Sauron, or the Necromancer, as he was called, was ousted from Dol Guldur by the White Council and returned to Mordor.

Smaug would be slain by Bard the Bowman, and the Battle of Five Armies would take place.

The Dwarves took back their home, and Bilbo returned to the Shire with the Ring.

Then, in 3018 and 3019, the War of the Ring took place, and Frodo, the heir of Bilbo, would set out to destroy the One Ring with the Fellowship of the Ring.

Frodo journeyed far and even farther with Sam and Gollum at his side.

Gollum still lusted for the Ring, however, but he was a great help to the Hobbits in their adventure.

Gandalf slew Durin's Bane and returned to life as Gandalf the White in the position of Saruman, who had betrayed the Free Peoples and made war on Rohan.

Rohan would be aided by many members of the Fellowship of the Ring before they turned to aid Gondor.

Eventually, Rohan and Gondor stood together and fought back Mordor, resulting in the death of the Witch-king by the hands of Merry and Éowyn, the niece of Théoden, the King of Rohan.

The West would march on the Black Gate of Mordor, like the Free Peoples had done in the Second Age, giving Frodo and Sam a chance to destroy the Ring.

Frodo and Sam went through many perils, such as Shelob's lair and the treachery of Gollum, making it to Mount Doom, where the Ring was forged in the Second Age, the only place it could be destroyed.

But Frodo could not do it.

Gollum got the Ring back and danced, and if by coincidence or the will of Ilúvatar, who began it all, Gollum fell into the lava of Mount Doom.

Sauron was destroyed, and the West had won.

Aragorn restored the kingship of Arnor and Gondor, and Faramir was made his steward.

Gondor, aamir, took up the kingship of his uncle Théoden, and Rohan, who had perished during the war.

The Hobbits returned to the Shire and ended the threat of Saruman, who had taken over there.

A majority of the Elves left Middle-earth.

Frodo, Bilbo, and Gandalf went with them, and they took the Straight Road to Valinor.

Thus ended the Third Age.

From the Third Age, I should also say that the Red Book of Westmarch, detailing the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, was written and preserved.

Finally, we come now to the Fourth Age.

The main characters here are the ones we knew from the end of the Third Age, plus Elrond, the seventh, and Eldarion, the son of Aragorn and Arwen.

In this age, the stories and characters we know came to many of their ends.

Aragorn passed away, and his son Eldarion became the next High King.

All of the Elves left in Middle-earth either went to Valinor or faded away in Middle-earth.

The Dwarves reclaimed Khazad-dûm under the leadership of King Durin the Seventh.

Hobbits would continue on and expand their lands.

Merry and Pippin passed away, as did Éomer, Faramir, and Aragorn.

At last, Gimli and Legolas and Sam on his own would take ships into the West, and they too would go to the land of the Valar in Valinor.

Middle-earth became the world of Men, the Second-born children of Ilúvatar, ruled by the descendants of Aragorn and Arwen.

Within this age would live the events of The New Shadow, the unfinished sequel to The Lord of the Rings.

Beyond all of this, we do not know.

At the end of the world, perhaps Dagor Dagorath, the last battle, will happen, and as it prophesizes, Melkor shall be slain.

Perhaps the souls shall be gathered and broken, and the new light of the two trees shall fill the new world after the Second Music of the Ainur.

However, Arda is and shall always be marred, so the future is unclear.

This is all speculation and may not necessarily be canon.

Thus, we come to the end of our tale of the major characters and events of the history and timeline of Middle-earth.

From the complete timeline of Middle-earth, we see truly how vast the works of one man are.

One person can create so much and can change the course of the world, just as J.R.R. Tolkien shows us.

I do not also forget the aid of Christopher Tolkien, who released and edited many of the works of his father that fill out the history of the legendarium.

Thank you all so much for watching; it really means a lot, and I hope you all enjoyed this video.

I really enjoyed making it, and it was definitely one of the most important, large-scale, and difficult videos I've ever made, but I am so glad to have done it.

It was quite an honor.

This video hopefully helps outline everything in the legendarium in a general sense, whereas my other videos helped define the legendarium in a more in-depth way.

Please leave a like and a share; it would help spread the greatness of Tolkien's legendarium, and it would help this video a lot.

Let me know any thoughts, questions, additions, and corrections in the comments below.

I hope this timeline shows why I'm so passionate about Tolkien's works; everything in it is so fantastic.

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I'll see you all again next week with a video on the history of Lothlórien.

As always, my friends, thank you all so much for joining me on this adventure, and until the next one, my great friends!