The Princes of Dol Amroth was a noble title of the Kingdom of Gondor, referring to those that directly govern the principality of Dol Amroth under the ruler of Gondor.
Early History
According to ancient traditions, the Princes of Dol Amroth were descended from a family of Faithful from Númenor who had ruled over the land of Belfalas since the Second Age. This family of Númenóreans were akin to the Lords of Andúnië, and thus related to Elendil and descended from the House of Elros.[1] After the Downfall of Númenor they had been given the title Prince of Belfalas by Elendil[2] and their land, now a fief of Gondor, was called Dor-en-Ernil. He granted this family a noble title, making them the hereditary Princes of Belfalas which was succeeded by the Princes of Dol Amroth.
One branch of their descendants removed to Lossarnach.[3] Morwen Steelsheen, a daughter of that family, married Thengel of Rohan. Through Morwen, both Thengel's heir Théoden and his grandson Éomer carried the blood of the ancient Princes of Belfalas.
One of those princes, Adrahil, fought under King Ondoher against the Wainriders.[4]
Origin of the Line
Tolkien gives two differing accounts of the origin of Imrahil's line, both in Unfinished Tales.
In the earlier account,[5] the line was founded, according to "the tradition of [the] house", by Imrazôr the Númenórean and the Elven-lady Mithrellas, one of Nimrodel's Silvan companions. Imrazôr lived in Belfalas around TA 2000 and had two Half-elven children: a boy Galador and a girl Gilmith. Shortly thereafter Mithrellas is said to have vanished in the night. Galador, according to this tradition, became the first Prince of Dol Amroth.[6]
Although this account does not appear explicitly in The Lord of the Rings, it figures in the perception of Imrahil by the people of Minas Tirith: "Belike the old tales speak well; there is Elvish blood in the veins of that folk, for the people of Nimrodel dwelt in that land once long ago",[7] as well as in the accolade from Legolas upon meeting Imrahil: "It is long since the people of Nimrodel left the woodlands of Lórien, and yet still one may see that not all sailed from Amroth's haven west over water."[8] Tolkien began, in fact, to work out a genealogical table linking Galador with Imrahil, but he abandoned it after getting little farther than assigning dates to the mostly blank spaces in between.[9]
The second account[10] belongs, according to Christopher Tolkien[11] to the late writings, undertaken well after the publication of The Lord of the Rings, when Tolkien turned to explore the early history of Gondor and Rohan. Here Tolkien says that the title of "Prince" was given to the line of Dol Amroth by Elendil himself; this was the family that had led the original Númenórean colonization. The Adrahil of Dol Amroth who fought with Calimehtar against the Wainriders[12] in T.A. 1944 (predating both Imrazôr and the death of Amroth) probably also belongs to this version.
Line of Princes
The line of Dol Amroth was linked by marriage both to the Stewards of Gondor and to the Kings of Rohan: Imrahil was uncle to Boromir and Faramir;[13] a kinsman of Théoden;[14] and the father of Éomer's wife Lothíriel.[15]
Here follows a list of the line of Princes of Dol Amroth. All dates are Third Age, but many names are not known, only dates of birth and death.
| The Princes of Belfalas | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adrahil I, Prince of Belfalas: fl. TA 1944 | |
| 2 | Imrazôr the Númenórean, Prince of Belfalas (TA 1950 - TA 2076) | |
| The Princes of Dol Amroth | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Galador, first Prince of Dol Amroth | TA 2004 - TA 2129 |
| 2 | Second Prince of Dol Amroth | TA 2060 - TA 2206 |
| 3 | Third Prince of Dol Amroth | TA 2120 - TA 2254 |
| 4 | Fourth Prince of Dol Amroth | TA 2172 - TA 2299 |
| 5 | Fifth Prince of Dol Amroth | TA 2225 - TA 2348 |
| 6 | Sixth Prince of Dol Amroth | TA 2274 - TA 2400 |
| 7 | Seventh Prince of Dol Amroth | TA 2324 - TA 2458 |
| 8 | Eighth Prince of Dol Amroth | TA 2373 - TA 2498 |
| 9 | Ninth Prince of Dol Amroth | TA 2418 - TA 2540 |
| 10 | Tenth Prince of Dol Amroth | TA 2463 - TA 2582 |
| 11 | Eleventh Prince of Dol Amroth | TA 2505 - TA 2623 |
| 12 | Twelfth Prince of Dol Amroth | TA 2546 - TA 2660 |
| 13 | Thirteenth Prince of Dol Amroth | TA 2588 - TA 2701 |
| 14 | Fourteenth Prince of Dol Amroth | TA 2627 - TA 2733 |
| 15 | Fifteenth Prince of Dol Amroth, slain by Corsairs of Umbar | TA 2671 - TA 2746 |
| 16 | Sixteenth Prince of Dol Amroth, slain in battle | TA 2709 - TA 2799 |
| 17 | Seventeenth Prince of Dol Amroth | TA 2746 - TA 2859 |
| 18 | Eighteenth Prince of Dol Amroth | TA 2785 - TA 2785 |
| 19 | Aglahad, nineteenth Prince of Dol Amroth | TA 2827 - TA 2932 |
| 20 | Angelimir, twentieth Prince of Dol Amroth | TA 2866 - TA 2977 |
| 21 | Adrahil II, twenty-first Prince of Dol Amroth | TA 2917 - TA 3010 |
| 22 | Imrahil, twenty-second Prince of Dol Amroth | TA 2955 - FO 34 |
| 23 | Elphir, twenty-third Prince of Dol Amroth | TA 2987 - FO 66 |
| 24 | Alphros, twenty-fourth Prince of Dol Amroth | TA 3017 - FO 94 |
References
- ↑ Unfinished Tales, Introduction, Part Three, II: "Cirion and Eorl and the Friendship of Gondor and Rohan"
- ↑ Unfinished Tales, Introduction, Part Three, II: "Cirion and Eorl and the Friendship of Gondor and Rohan", note 39
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The Battles of the Fords of Isen"
- ↑ Unfinished Tales, Introduction, Part Three, II: "Cirion and Eorl and the Friendship of Gondor and Rohan", note 39
- ↑ Unfinished Tales, "History of Galadriel and Celeborn", p. 248.
- ↑ Encyclopedia of Arda
- ↑ The Return of the King, "The Siege of Gondor", p. 98.
- ↑ The Return of the King, "The Last Debate", p. 148.
- ↑ The table is reproduced in The History of Middle-earth, Vol XII, "The Heirs of Elendil", pp. 222-23.
- ↑ Unfinished Tales, "Cirion and Eorl", p. 304, p. 316, note 39.
- ↑ Unfinished Tales, "Introduction", p. 10.
- ↑ Unfinished Tales, "Cirion and Eorl", p. 293-94.
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Stewards", p. 336.
- ↑ Unfinished Tales, "Disaster of the Gladden Fields", p. 286.
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The House of Eorl", p. 352.
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