Q: How Was the Kingdom of Dale Governed?
ANSWER: All we know for sure about the governments of Dale is that Girion was “lord of Dale” (most likely to be equated with “king”) before Smaug’s attack and Bard became “King of Dale” after he slew Smaug. In Bard’s case many if not all the men of Lake-town (except the Master) acclaimed him “king” for slaying the dragon.
According to J.R.R. Tolkien in The Hobbit Bard was able to recruit men to rebuild Dale from lands to the south and west of Dale. The Hobbit says that the Lake-men trade with their kin further down the River Running (Celduin) but it’s not clear where the western men lived.
According to a note published in Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle-earth the (presumed) ancestors of the Northmen living east of Greenwood the Great (whom the Elves called “the Free Men of the North”) were living near the northeastern corner of Greenwood (close to Erebor) at the beginning of the Third Age, and that they were spreading south from that area. In other words, Tolkien may have meant that Vidugavia’s people of about 1,000 years later were descended from that more ancient group of northern men.
However, most of the materials published in Unfinished Tales were composed after The Lord of the Rings was published — and some of those essays may have been written in the 1960s. Therefore Tolkien’s more detailed history of the Northmen as retconned in this way may not necessarily reflect what he had in mind when he wrote The Hobbit.
However, we can speculate that Bard may have had a different type of authority than Girion’s; if Girion was descended of earlier lords/kings of a small tribe of Northmen his authority might have been limited by ancient traditions. Bard might conceivably have established his realm with greater royal authority than his ancestors possessed, although this need not be the case.
Tolkien did make use of an ancient Germanic and Scandinavian social organization in some of his fantasy societies: the moot or thing. Although Thing is typically the name used for assemblies found in Viking societies, the word was used in some parts of England (although Danes and Norwegians settled in England at various times).
Tolkien mentions the Shire-moot in the Prologue to The Lord of the Rings. This moot appears to have been distinguished from the 7-year Free Fair in the town of Michel Delving where the Mayor was elected. The Shire-moot was instead an assembly of the heads of the families of the Hobbits (or maybe only the heads of the most prominent families, of which there were about a dozen). The Thainship was in fact established by the Shire-moot after the fall of Arthedain/Arnor; and the Thain was the lawful leader of the Shire-moot and Shire-muster.
The Ents of Fangorn Forest also hold a moot (attended by Merry and Pippin), and it is tempting to infer that such “folk assemblies” may have been very common among the less populous or less sophisticated societies of Middle-earth. There is evidence, for example, of moot-like assemblies among primitive Elvish cultures; these assemblies appear to have been replaced by more formal councils led by the kings of the Eldar.
There is reference to another moot in one of Tolkien’s stories, however: the Folkmoot of Brethil, which is described in “The Wanderings of Hurin”. Christopher Tolkien published this incomplete story (along with whatever notes he had found that indicated how the story should have ended) in The War of the Jewels, Volume XI of The History of Middle-earth. The Folkmoot seems to follow the basic pattern of a traditional Germanic or Scandinavian assembly, where the leader of the people speaks with some authority but he is obligated to respect certain rights and privileges of all the heads of households among the people.
In ancient Germanic and Scandinavian assemblies any free man of the clan or tribe could speak before the assembly, but strict traditions were recorded and enforced by “lawspeakers”. Slaves (thralls) and outlaws (banished families) had no rights in the assemblies. Where there were kings or local lords (Earls or Jarls) the assemblies were presided over by these folk leaders, but they were still expected to abide by the ancient traditions.
The assemblies were eventually replaced by the Witan in England (the royal council of the Anglo-Saxon kings). J.R.R. Tolkien provides some interesting details about a similar council structure in Numenor in “The Mariner’s Wife”, which was published in Unfinished Tales — and, of course, the Ruling Steward Denethor II meets with his council in The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien provided some commentary about the Great Council of Gondor in Letter No. 244 (a fragment of a draft of a letter that Tolkien composed in 1963):
…A Númenórean King was monarch, with the power of unquestioned decision in debate; but he governed the realm with the frame of ancient law, of which he was administrator (and interpreter) but not the maker. In all debatable matters of importance domestic, or external, however, even Denethor had a Council, and at least listened to what the Lords of the Fiefs and the Captains of the Forces had to say. Aragorn re-established the Great Council of Gondor, and in that Faramir, who remained* by inheritance the Steward (or representative of the King during his absence abroad, or sickness, or between his death and the accession of his heir) would [be] the chief counsellor.
However, we don’t know much about how any of the major Northman societies were really governed. Theoden as Lord of the Mark was the King over his people. He appears to have ruled with great personal authority (as did his ancestors before him). In “The Ride of Eorl” (also published in Unfinished Tales) the narrative shows that Eorl can made definitive choices for himself and his people but that he also has a “Council of Elders” he calls upon at need:
It was then the twenty-fifth day of Súlimë. Eorl took counsel with himself in silence; but not for long. Soon he rose, and he said: “I will come. If the Mundburg falls, whither shall we flee from the Darkness?” Then he took Borondir’s hand in token of the promise.
Eorl at once summoned his council of Elders, and began to prepare for the great riding. But this took many days, for the host had to be gathered and mustered, and thought taken for the ordering of the people and the defence of the land. At that time the Éothéod were at peace and had no fear of war: though it might prove otherwise when it became known that their lord had ridden away to battle far off in the South. Nonetheless Eorl saw well that nothing less than his full strength would serve, and he must risk all or draw back and break his promise.
There is also reference to such a council among the Rohirrim in Appendix A, in the brief tale of Helm Hammerhand:
‘Of the Kings of the Mark between Eorl and Théoden most is said of Helm Hammerhand. He was a grim man of great strength. There was at that time a man named Freca, who claimed descent from King Fréawine, though he had, men said, much Dunlendish blood, and was dark-haired. He grew rich and powerful, having wide lands on either side of the Adorn. Near its source he made himself a stronghold and paid little heed to the king. Helm mistrusted him, but called him to his councils; and he came when it pleased him.
‘To one of these councils Freca rode with many men, and he asked the hand of Helm’s daughter for his son Wulf. But Helm said: “You have grown big since you were last here; but it is mostly fat, I guess”; and men laughed at that, for Freca was wide in the belt.
‘Then Freca fell in a rage and reviled the king, and said this at the last: “Old kings that refuse a proffered staff may fall on their knees.” Helm answered: “Come! The marriage of your son is a trifle. Let Helm and Freca deal with it later. Meanwhile the king and his council have matters of moment to consider.”
‘When the council was over, Helm stood up and laid his great hand on Freca’s shoulder, saying: “The king does not permit brawls in his house, but men are freer outside”; and he forced Freca to walk before him out from Edoras into the field. To Freca’s men that came up he said: “Be off! We need no hearers. We are going to speak of a private matter alone. Go and talk to my men!” And they looked and saw that the king’s men and his friends far outnumbered them, and they drew back.
Helm subsequently slew Freca and outlawed his family — a deed that resonates with students of ancient Germanic and Scandinavian history. Theoden does not call upon any council of elders or lords, although he does assemble the captains of the Muster of Rohan — but the Muster is an army, a formal body with a strict hierarchy and commissioned officers. It may be that men such as Erkenbrand (lord of Westfold Vale) sat in council with Theoden at other times.
The men of Lake-town had no king but instead elected a Town Master and Council to govern them. Lake-town’s simple democracy resembles the Shire’s own custom of electing a Mayor of Michel Delving, who oversaw the Messenger Service and the Watch (including the Shirriffs and Bounders), in addition to presiding over feasts that celebrated Shire holidays.
On the basis of these facts I conclude that Bard must have assumed his title of King by right of descent from Girion but also on the basis of popular support. He would be a king without a kingdom or a people if there were no assembly to formally acknowledge his claim. Hence, the folk of Dale must have assembled at least once to raise Bard to be their king. At that time they would have sworn oaths of fealty to him and pledged their loyalty to the new kingdom. But it could be that ruling an assembly would be an unwieldy process in most matters. Bard needed to build a town, establish formal relationships with Erebor, Laketown, the Wood-elves, and most likely other peoples. He would have needed the assistance of special officials or representatives; and he would have needed to appoint one or more officers to oversee Dale’s equivalent of “town guard” and its army.
Such laws as Bard’s kingdom needed might have been established by the king in consultation with his closest advisors, who might be wealthy merchants who left Laketown or perhaps heads of families (clans) who migrated to Dale to assist in its rebuilding. If Dale had a popular assembly it might be called only once a year, or perhaps only as needed. I think Tolkien would have envisioned Bard working with close, trusted friends and companions — men whom he had served with and who perhaps became the lords of the new Dale.
But this is all necessarily speculative because Tolkien did not leave behind any essays filled with details about Dale’s history, customs, or laws. We can only infer what might have been culturally available to Bard and his people through common practice across the free lands of Middle-earth. We know that such institutions as Tolkien described all had historical precedents in Old English, Germanic, and Scandinavian experience. The simplest pattern (Assembly elects the king, the king appoints councilors) probably is the best way to imagine how Dale was governed.
See also:
- Did the Kingdom of Dale Conquer Other Cities?
- What Was Éothéod Like?
- Were Bard and His Descendants Also Kings Over Lake-town?
- How Large was the Kingdom of Dale’s Army?
- How Many Riders of Rohan Were There?
- How Many Tribes of Northmen Were There?
- How Was the Kingdom of Dale Governed?
- When Was the Kingdom of Dale Founded?
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