Battle of Azanulbizar

The Battle of Azanulbizar, known also as the Battle of Nanduhirion, the Battle of Moria, or the Battle of Dimrill Dale, was the last battle in the War of the Dwarves and Orcs.

History
The Battle of Azanulbizar was fought in the year TA 2799 at the eastern gate of Moria between the Dwarves of all houses and the Orcs of the Misty Mountains.

It was the greatest battle of the War of Dwarves and Orcs, and was a decisive victory for the Dwarves. However, the battle claimed the lives of many, including Frerin, the second son of Thráin II, and the younger brother of Thorin Oakenshield. Fundin, father of Balin and Dwalin, also fell. Náin, son of Grór was slain in a fight with Azog, right outside the East Gate. Azog was then slain in turn by Náin's son Dáin Ironfoot.



After the Orcs were routed, Thráin II, heir of Durin, wished to enter and reclaim Moria after the War. However, the Dwarves of Durin's folk were too few, and the Dwarves of the other six houses believed that they did not have the strength to confront Durin's Bane, though none knew what it was.

The aftermath of the battle and the overall war resulted in devastating losses for all the dwarves involved, but virtually all of the Orcs infesting the Misty Mountains were destroyed, leaving only a handful left. This resulted in the Misty Mountains being relatively safer for the next two centuries. The Battle of Azanulbizar was also where Thorin earned the name "Oakenshield"; after his shield was broken during the battle, he cleaved a great branch from a nearby oak tree to use as both a shield and a bludgeon.

The Dwarves' losses were so great that it was impossible to bury all their dead, and instead the corpses were burned on funeral pyres. In later years, the relatives and descendants of these casualties would commonly say of their ancestor, "He was a burned Dwarf", a remark instantly understandable as a reference to Azanulbizar and the Dwarves who died there.

Opposing Forces
The exact number of the Dwarves was not specified, but it can be estimated at being somewhere between six to ten thousand Longbeards, Firebeards, Broadbeams, Ironfists, Stonefoots, Blacklocks, and Stiffbeards.

The Orcs, as stated above, came from Moria, and from as far north as Mount Gundabad. Their numbers can be estimated at twenty-five to thirty thousand Orcs.

Portrayal in Adaptations
The Battle of Azanulbizar was portrayed to be much different in The Hobbit film trilogy. The narrative of the battle has been heavily condensed.

After Smaug had driven the Dwarves out of the Lonely Mountain, Thrór attempted to lead all of his people back to their ancestral realm in Moria, only to find that the Gundabad Orcs, led by Azog, had gotten there first. Before going into battle, Thrór gave his son Thráin one of the Seven Rings of the Dwarves in case he was slain. If this occurred, his son would take his position as King of Durin's Folk. Leading a legion of Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain and the Iron Hills, Thrór fought side-by-side with his son and grandson during the battle, and attempted to fight against Azog, but the giant Pale Orc darted aside and decapitated the King Thrór. Thorin witnessed his grandfather's death and attempted to avenge him, but Thráin stopped him and warned him that Azog the Defiler was meant to destroy the line of Durin. Refusing to allow his son suffer the same fate as Thrór, Thráin attempted to take down Azog himself, but the deadly Orc managed to take him down and steal the ring by slicing off his finger.

While Thráin took 6000 Dwarven soldiers and warriors to lead a charge towards the Dimrill Gate and never returned, Thorin decided to face off against Azog in single person combat. The Pale Orc easily overpowered him, relieving Thorin of his sword and shield. Thorin defended himself desperately with an oaken branch as a shield, and eventually managed to slice off Azog's left arm with his retrieved sword. The wounded Azog was then dragged back into Moria by his subordinates, and Thorin lead a charge of the remaining dwarves, including Balin, Dwalin, Dori, Bifur, and Oin, against the remaining orcs. The battle ended soon after, and thousands of Dwarves were slain in the battle, and Moria would not be occupied. While Balin, Dwalin, Dori, Oin, and Bifur walked amidst the heaps of their slain kin, Thorin was told by several Dwarves that Thráin was gone as well. Thorin refused to believe it, and spent hours searching among the slain dwarves, to the last body, and finally realized that his father was not among the fallen. Azog had been presumed dead, dying of his injuries. However, as it was shown in An Unexpected Journey, Azog lived, and vowed revenge on Thorin.

Etymology
The name 'Azanulbizar' is a Khuzdul word.