The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
Location
The warriors of the Alliance were drawn from across northwestern Middle-earth; all the decisive battles of the war took place within Mordor, or on its borders
Origins
The war was triggered by Sauron's capture of Minas Ithil on the borders of Mordor
Races
The Alliance was formed by Elves and Men
Settlements
Barad-dûr was besieged for much of the war
Other names

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 7 June 2025
  • This entry is complete

War of the Alliance

The war against Sauron that closed the Second Age

A shorter name2 of the war more commonly called the War of the Last Alliance, in which the Elves of Middle-earth allied with the Exiles of Númenor to confront the danger of Sauron in Mordor.

The War began in II 3429, about a century after the founding of Gondor by Elendil and his sons. Sauron's forces emerged from Mordor and captured Minas Ithil, the stronghold of Isildur on the borders of the Black Land. Isildur was able to escape by sea into the North, and there ask help from his father. In response, Elendil allied himself with Gil-galad, King of the Elves in Middle-earth, and together they built a huge army to march south against Mordor.

The fighting began in earnest in II 3434, five years after the loss of Minas Ithil. This was the Battle of Dagorlad, in which the Alliance engaged with the armies of Mordor on the Battle Plain outside the Black Gate. The battle was vicious and prolonged, but the Alliance won the field and marched on Barad-dûr itself.

Thereafter Sauron's Dark Tower stood against a great siege for seven years. At last Sauron attempted to end the War by offering single combat against the leaders of the Alliance. He fought against Elendil and Gil-galad on the slopes of Mount Doom; the combat was terrible, and both Elendil and Gil-galad were slain, but Sauron was also defeated. Thus Isildur was able to take the One Ring from Sauron's lifeless body, paving the way for the War of the Ring more than three thousand years later.


Notes

1

II 3429 was the date on which Sauron suddenly emerged from Mordor and attacked Isildur's tower of Minas Ithil. The tower fell, but Isildur escaped into the North to seek help from his father Elendil. This resulted in the establishment of the Last Alliance, though in fact the Alliance was not formed until the following year (II 3430) and did not march on Mordor until II 3434. During this period, fighting continued in the South, with Sauron assaulting Osgiliath and being driven back by Isildur's brother Anárion.

2

Actually this shortened form is used only once, in a passage describing Isildur's plans shortly after the end of the War. This is entirely natural, because of course Isildur had at that time no way of knowing that the great Alliance that had just defeated Sauron would be seen by history as the Last Alliance of Elves and Men.

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 7 June 2025
  • This entry is complete

For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page.

Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 2014, 2025. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ.

Website services kindly sponsored by Axiom Discovery aptitude and skill testing.
Axiom Discovery gives you comprehensive online aptitude testing covering core skills across a wide range of disciplines.
The Encyclopedia of Arda
The Encyclopedia of Arda
Menu
Homepage Search Latest Entries and Updates Random Entry