Changes: Fourth Age

Revision as of 11:47, 6 February 2015

Fourth Age

Timeline of Arda

The coronation of King Aragorn of Gondor and Arnor.

The Fourth Age was the time period that followed the War of the Ring. It was an age of peace and the "Age of Men".

The Fourth Age began after Sauron was vanquished and his Ruling Ring had been destroyed. The Shire and the kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor were restored. It marked the ascent of Men and the diminishment of the Elves. Gandalf, Elrond, Galadriel, Bilbo and Frodo sailed for the Undying Lands.

The allies of Sauron suffered a devastating blow that would take them centuries to recover, if they did at all. Harad suffered a devastating defeat and concluded a peace with King Aragorn II Elessar, by which Umbar, whose fleet had been completely destroyed in the mouths of the Anduin, was returned to Gondor, and South Gondor also annexed. The Easterlings also suffered a terrible defeat as their Orc allies fled in terror from the Battle of the Black Gate. However, King Elessar, his descendants and allies such as King Éomer still on occasion warred with their enemies over land, particularly over the bitterly contested region of the Sea of Rhûn. King Elessar died in FO 120 and was succeeded by his son Eldarion who ruled until about FO 220 . Of the kings of the Reunited Kingdom after him, nothing is known.

Tolkien said that he thought the distance between the end of the Third Age and the 20th century A.D. was about 6000 years, and that 1958 should have been around the end of the Fifth Age if the Fourth and Fifth Ages were about the same length as the Second and Third Ages. He said, however, in a letter written in 1958 that he believed the Ages had quickened and that it was about the end of the Sixth Age or beginning of the Seventh (this letter is referred to in the "Fourth Age" article of The Encyclopedia of Arda as mentioned below).

This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Fourth Age. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with The One Wiki to Rule Them All, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Commons Attribution-Share Alike license.

References

The Complete Guide to Middle-earth

External links

Fourth Age at Tolkien Gateway
Fourth Age at Glyphweb

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+{{History of Arda}}
-[[File:Aragorn.png|thumb|The coronation of the King of Gondor, marking the end of the Third Age]]{{History of Arda}}
-The '''Fourth Age''' was the time period that began after the [[War of the Ring]] concluded.
+[[File:Aragorn.png|frame|left|The coronation of King Aragorn of Gondor and Arnor.]]
-The Fourth Age began after [[Sauron]] was finally defeated (his [[One Ring|Ruling Ring]] destroyed) and when the Elves left Middle-earth for the [[Valinor|Uttermost West]]. After [[Elrond]], [[Galadriel]], [[Círdan]] and [[Gandalf]] left Middle-Earth, all the bearers of the three were gone over sea.
+'''The Fourth Age''' was the time period that followed the [[War of the Ring]]. It was an age of peace and the "Age of Men".
-Tolkien's writing does not provide information on more than the first few centuries of this age, so it is not known when it ended, if it ever did.
-This age was (presumably) marked by the recovery of the [[Númenor]]ean kingdoms in exile ([[Arnor]] and [[Gondor]]), the final ascent of [[Men (Middle-earth)|Men]] and the total wane of the [[Elves (Middle-earth)|Elves]].
+The Fourth Age began after [[Sauron]] was vanquished and his [[One Ring|Ruling Ring]] had been destroyed. The Shire and the kingdoms of [[Arnor]] and [[Gondor]] were restored. It marked the ascent of [[Men]] and the diminishment of the [[Elves]]. [[Gandalf]], [[Elrond]], [[Galadriel]], Bilbo and Frodo sailed for the [[Undying Lands]].
-In total contrast, the allies of [[Sauron]] took a devastating ''coup de grace ''blow that would take them centuries to recover, if they did at all. Virtually the entire population of [[Harad]]&nbsp;was annihilated on the [[Pelennor Fields]], and the [[Easterlings]]&nbsp;lost many men to the merciless swords of Gondorian legionaries and the thundering hoofs of the [[Rohirrim]]. However, King Elessar and presumably his descendants constantly warred with their enemies over land, particularly over the bitterly contested region of the Sea of Rhun.
+The allies of [[Sauron]] suffered a devastating blow that would take them centuries to recover, if they did at all. [[Harad]] suffered a devastating defeat and concluded a peace with King [[Aragorn II Elessar]], by which Umbar, whose fleet had been completely destroyed in the mouths of the Anduin, was returned to Gondor, and South Gondor also annexed. The [[Easterlings]] also suffered a terrible defeat as their Orc allies fled in terror from the [[Battle of the Black Gate]]. However, King Elessar, his descendants and allies such as King [[Éomer]] still on occasion warred with their enemies over land, particularly over the bitterly contested region of the [[Sea of Rhûn]]. King [[Elessar]] died in [[FO 120]] and was succeeded by his son [[Eldarion]] who ruled until about [[FO 220]] . Of the kings of the Reunited Kingdom after him, nothing is known.
-Tolkien said that he thought the distance between the end of the Third Age and the [[wikipedia:20th century|20th century]] <small>A.D.</small> was about 6000 years, and that in [[wikipedia:1958|1958]] it should have been around the end of the Fifth Age if the Fourth and Fifth Ages were about the same length as the Second and Third Ages. He said, however, in a letter written in 1958 that he believed the Ages had quickened and that it was about the end of the Sixth Age/beginning of the Seventh. (This letter is referred to in the "Fourth Age" article of ''The Encyclopedia of Arda'' as mentioned below.)
+Tolkien said that he thought the distance between the end of the Third Age and the [[Wikipedia:20th century|20th century]] A.D. was about 6000 years, and that [[Wikipedia:1958|1958]] should have been around the end of the Fifth Age if the Fourth and Fifth Ages were about the same length as the Second and Third Ages. He said, however, in a letter written in 1958 that he believed the Ages had quickened and that it was about the end of the Sixth Age or beginning of the Seventh (this letter is referred to in the "Fourth Age" article of ''The Encyclopedia of Arda'' as mentioned below).
+{{enWP|Fourth Age}}
-The following is mere speculation and unrelated to fantasy works:
-That implies that maybe the fall of [[wikipedia:Nazi Germany|Nazi Germany]] ended the Sixth Age in [[wikipedia:1945|1945]], as the other ages also ended with the downfalls of tyrants. The estimation of 6000 years would place the end of the Third Age and the start of the Fourth in the [[5th millennium BC]]. Since Tolkien was a devout [[Catholic]], it is speculated that he would have held the birth of [[wikipedia:Jesus|Jesus]] to be the most important event of the era, and thus would be the most likely time for the start of the Fifth Age.
+==See also==
-Determining the epoch of a Fifth era is important for those who apply the Tolkien calendar to present dates.
+*[[Timeline of Arda#Fourth Age|Timeline of the Fourth Age]]
+==References==
+*[[The Complete Guide to Middle-earth]]
 ==External links==
-#[http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/default.htm The Encyclopedia of Arda]
-#*[http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/f/fourthage.html Fourth Age]
+*{{TGlink|Fourth Age}}
-''See also: [[Timeline of Arda#Fourth Age|Timeline of the Fourth Age]]''.
+*[http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/f/fourthage.html Fourth Age] at Glyphweb
+[[de:Viertes Zeitalter]]
-{{enWP|Fourth Age}}
-[[Category:Dates|FO]]
+[[it:Quarta Era]]
+[[pl:Czwarta Era]]
+[[ru:Четвёртая Эпоха]]
 [[Category:Eras]]
 [[Category:Fourth Age| ]]
+[[Category:Time]]