Castamir the Usurper

This article is about the king of Gondor. For the video game character, see Castamir (Minas Ithil).

Castamir
Biographical information
Other names	The Usurper, Lord of Ships
Titles	King of Gondor (Title usurped)
Birth	TA 1259
Rule	TA 1437
Death	TA 1447
Realms	Gondor
Spouse	Unnamed wife
Weapon	King's sword
Physical description
Race	Men
Gender	Male
Culture	Dúnedain (House of Anárion), Men of Gondor

Castamir the Usurper usurped the throne of Gondor from Eldacar, ruling from TA 1437 to 1447 of the Third Age, until he was violently deposed at the Battle of Erui.

Biography

The great-grandson of the unremarkable King Calmacil, Castamir was not in line for the throne, but his royal background had made him the Lord of Ships under the previous king, Valacar. His lineage and influence left him in a position to challenge the current king, Eldacar, who was only half Dúnadan. As King Valacar's only son, Eldacar was the legitimate heir to the throne, but his half Rhovanion lineage angered citizens who believed in a pure dúnedain royalty. Capitalizing on what became outright protest against the current king, Castamir was able to incite rebellion and besiege Eldacar within the city Osgiliath in TA 1437 of the Third Age. The city was set on fire by Castamir's troops, destroying the famed Dome of Stars. Shortly thereafter, Eldacar fled the city and into exile in Rhovanion, to the north. With the defeat of the king, Castamir seized the throne.

For ten years Castamir ruled Gondor with an iron fist, while Eldacar quietly regained power. Castamir ruled cruelly, and committed many foul deeds, including executing Eldacar's own son, Ornendil. At first the people of Gondor tolerated Castamir because of his pure Númenórean blood. Then, in 1447, Castamir, now called "the Usurper" by his people was overthrown after a decade of wicked rule with the people now rallying around the true king, Eldacar. He was slain by Eldacar's forces at the Battle of Erui, the decisive battle of the Kin-strife as this period came to be known. At the Crossings of Erui, Eldacar personally slew Castamir.

Castamir's influence did not end there. Remnants of his forces, and his surviving sons, retreated from the Battle of Erui to the port of Pelargir and escaped by ship to Umbar, far to the south. These descendants of Castamir became the so-called "Corsairs of Umbar", fierce pirates who terrorized the ports of Gondor with the help of the men of Harad. They were perhaps the greatest threat to Gondor for nearly 400 years, commanding massive fleets of ships. Their most infamous exploit was the Raid of Pelargir in TA 1634, in which a Corsair armada led by his great-grandsons Angamaitë‎ and Sangahyando‎ sailed up the river Anduin to the port of Pelargir, deep in Gondor's territory. This raid coincided with the young King Minardil's visit, and he was slain in by the Corsairs as they attacked.

They remained a significant threat until TA 1810, when King Telumehtar retook Umbar for Gondor. So great a victory was this, that forever after Telumehtar was known as Umbardacil, which literally means "victor over Umbar". In this battle the last descendants of Castamir were finally killed.

Translations around the world

Foreign Language	Translated name
Chinese	卡斯塔馬 竄位者
Czech	Castamir Uchvatitel
Dutch	Castamir de Ursurpator
Finnish	Castamir Anastasija
French	Castamir l'Usurpateur
German	Castamir der Thronräuber
Italian	Castamir l'Usurpatore
Japanese	カスタミア 奪取者
Latvian	Castamir Uzuzperis
Polish	Castamir Uzurpator
Russian	Кастамир Узурпатор
Slovak	Castamir Uzurper
Spanish	Castamir el Usurpador

King of Gondor (Usurped)
Preceded by Eldacar	Castamir the Usurper	Succeeded by Eldacar restored
TA 1437 - TA 1447