Lord of the Havens

A title given to the Great Captain Aldarion of Númenor, a shortened form of the fuller title 'Lord of the Ships and Havens of Númenor'. It was conferred on Aldarion by his father King Tar-Meneldur on the occasion of his hundredth birthday, at which he was also formally made King's Heir of Númenor. (Those of the royal line of Númenor in its early days would typically live for some four centuries, so the age of one hundred was by no means old for one directly descended from Elros Tar-Minyatur.)

Aldarion was famed as a mariner and adventurer, and sailed many times from Númenor to explore the coasts of Middle-earth. He was away from Númenor so often, indeed, that he raised the disapproval of his father the King. In III 829, Aldarion set out on a long voyage against the King's explicit order, which caused Tar-Meneldur to rescind the title and authority of the Lord of the Havens. Aldarion was away on that voyage for fourteen years, but when he returned he was eventually reconciled with his father, and the title was restored.

In II 883, Tar-Meneldur resigned the Sceptre, and Aldarion became Tar-Aldarion, the sixth King of Númenor. It is unknown whether he continued to hold the title of Lord of the Havens after this time, or instead assigned it to some other captain, but certainly he continued to sail often to Middle-earth during his Kingship.

---

The specific title of Lord of the Havens, at least as used among Men,¹ is only recorded as being given to Aldarion. The more usual title for one of high naval rank among the Dúnedain was 'Captain of Ships' or 'Captain of the King's Ships'. We know that there were Captains of Ships before Aldarion's time (his mentor Vëantur held the title), and that it continued in use even long afterwards in Gondor, well into the Third Age. It may be that the titles 'Lord of the Havens' and 'Captain of Ships' were indeed synonymous with one another, but we have no record of them both being applied to the same individual.