The title given to the leader of the military forces of Minas Tirith. In the years leading to the end of the Third Age, the title was held by Boromir, elder son of Steward Denethor. After Boromir went north to seek Imladris and ultimately join the Fellowship of the Ring, the role of Captain fell on his younger brother Faramir.
The fact that the Captaincy transferred from Boromir to his brother Faramir implies that it was traditionally taken by the heir of the Ruling Steward, but we have no earlier historical references to confim this. Though the title referred to the White Tower in the Citadel of Minas Tirith, the Captain clearly held command over the soldiers of Minas Tirith, and perhaps farther afield. There are indication that it may have been equivalent to the title 'Captain of Gondor', suggesting that the Captain held overall command of Gondor's military forces, or at least those in direct service to the Steward.4
Notes
1 |
We have almost no historical detail about the title 'Captain of the White Tower', so it is realistically impossible to guess when the role came into being, but it necessarily cannot have predated the White Tower itself. That was originally built by King Calimehtar in III 1900, so that would be the earliest possible date for the first Captain to be appointed. In later years, the position was held by the son of the ruler of Gondor, and if this pattern held when the White Tower was first built - something that is very far from certain - then the first Captain of the White Tower would have been Calimehtar's son and heir, Ondoher.
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2 |
We only know of two Captains, the sons of Denethor II, and as sons of the Ruling Stewards these were both descended from the House of Húrin. On that basis, it is possible that, like the Stewards, the Captains of the White Tower were hereditary, with the post being held by the Ruling Steward's son. Our sample of two Captains is hardly adequate to state that with certainty, however, and it may simply be coincidence that Boromir and his brother Faramir both happened to hold the Captaincy in the last years of the Third Age.
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3 |
Boromir is variously described as holding both the titles of 'Captain of the White Tower' and 'High Warden of the White Tower'. These titles are similar enough that they might very well refer to the same role (etymologically, 'warden' means 'guard'). While we cannot state categorically that the Captain and the High Warden had the same responsibilities, the fact that they could be held simultaneously by the same person shows that there must have been a great deal of overlap in their duties.
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4 |
At least in military terms, Gondor seems to have had something of a feudal arrangement, in that individual lords would retain control over their own soldiery, an arrangement that had significant effects during the War of the Ring. In that war many of the coastal lords sent relatively small contingents to the defence of Minas Tirith, keeping back substantial elements of their forces to defend their own fiefs against raiders. The Captain of the White Tower, then, clearly did not hold direct command over all of Gondor's soldiers, but was apparently the overall commander of those defending Minas Tirith.
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- Updated 18 August 2020
- This entry is complete
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