Why Were the Kings of Gondor Considered More Royal Than Other Kings?

Q: Why Were the Kings of Gondor Considered More Royal Than Other Kings?

ANSWER: Some readers ask why Denethor tells Boromir that the Stewards of Gondor can never become kings. The reference is to a passage in The Lord of the Rings where Faramir is teaching Frodo and Sam a little about Gondor’s history and his brother Boromir’s character:

‘And this I remember of Boromir as a boy, when we together learned the tale of our sires and the history of our city, that always it displeased him that his father was not king. “How many hundreds of years needs it to make a steward a king, if the king returns not? ” he asked. “Few years, maybe, in other places of less royalty,” my father answered. “In Gondor ten thousand years would not suffice.” Alas! poor Boromir. Does that not tell you something of him? ‘

The significance of this passage is not lost on many readers, but not everyone understands the reference. Why, they ask, cannot the Stewards be kings after 1,000 years?

Some scholars are quick to point to the history of the Kings of France. The original dynasty founded by Clovis, called the Merovingians (for Clovis’ grandfather Merovech), had handed most of their administrative responsibilities to domestic servants, the Majordomos (Mayors of the Palace). Pepin the Short and his brother Carloman inherited the positions of Majordomos from their father Charles Martel, who had led the Franks in defeating a Moorish invasion. After Carloman retired Pepin sought and received permission from Pope Zachary to depose Childeric III, establishing the Carolingian Dynasty (in the year 752). To understand the parallel between this event and Denethor’s conversation with his son, however, we have to look at a little Frankish history.

Clovis is thought to have been born around the year 466 CE. Hence, he was only a boy when the last western Roman Emperor was deposed by Odovacar, a Germanic prince appointed by the eastern Roman emperor to seize control over Italy. Clovis succeeded his father as King of the Salian Franks in 481 when he was only 15 years old. Clovis — a foederati of the Romans — discarded the authority of the Romans and set about conquering other Frankish kings and sub-kings. He alone among the Germanic kings of his generation converted to Roman Catholicism (the other kings converted to Arian Christianity). Clovis therefore won the blessing and support of the Papacy.

This Papal support helped to legitimize Clovis’ conquest of the former lands of Gaul (most of which had been granted to the Visigoths). Clovis drove the Visigoths south into Iberia, where they established a new kingdom that lasted about 200 years. By the time he died in 511 Clovis had united the Franks and several other German tribes under his rule. However, his sons and grandsons continually divided his realm among themselves and reunited it through wars with each other. Generation after generation saw the Merovingian kings waste their resources in fruitless wars of conquest and unification, only to divide their realms between their sons. For a time, the major Frankish realms were Austrasia, Neustria, Burgundy, and Aquitaine.

Saint Arnulf (Circa. 582-640) was a Frankish nobleman and the Bishop of Metz in Austrasia. He became an advisor to Theudebert II of Austrasia is considered the founder of the Pepinid Dynasty. Arnulf’s son Ansegisel married Begga, daughter of Pepin I, Pippin of Landen, Arnulf’s political ally. Charles Martel was Ansegisel and Begga’s grand-son. The office of Majordomo passed from Arnulf to his son and then to Charles Martel. The last strong Merovingian king was Dagobert I, who died in 639 (the year before Arnulf, who had retired to a mountain monastery by that time).

Pepin II (the Middle), son of Ansegisel and Begga, consolidated the power of all the Majordomos of the Franks after the Battle of Tertry in 687. Charles Martel was Pepin II’s illegitimate son, who nonetheless succeeded his father as Majordomo in 715; this happened after the Austrasian nobles deserted Pepin’s legitimate grandson Theudoald, son of Pepin’s legitimate son Grimoald. In one sense, it could be said that Charles Martel diminished the royalty of the Franks because of his birth status. It is undoubtedly this status that Tolkien is gently criticizing with Denethor’s remark to Boromir.

The Stewards of Gondor were descended from Hurin of Emyn Arnen, who was said to have been “of royal origin” — meaning he must have been descended from the House of Elendil through a daughter of the male Line of Anarion. When Mardil Voronwë assumed control of Gondor he did not seek to depose the Line of Anarion but simply governed in their name and on their behalf, faithful to his office as Steward.

But the question of why the Stewards of Gondor felt compelled to observe a statutory loyalty to a deceased line of kings is not addressed by Mardil’s choice. It would appear that his choice was based on a very ancient tradition extending back to Elros Tar-Minyatur. Elros, as a son of Eärendil, was allowed to choose whether to be numbered among Elves or Men. Choosing Men, he was made King of Numenor and all of its peoples. That is, the Valar appointed Elros Tar-Minyatur as the first King of Numenor. Elros therefore had the highest sanction possible in Arda.

Even though Elros’ descendants rebelled against the authority of the Valar, and ultimately abandoned reverence for the Valar in favor of Sauron’s Morgothian religion, the Lords of Andúnië remained Faithful to the tradition of Elros. In fact, the Elves of Tol Eressëa defied Ar-Pharazôn and secretly visited Amandil of Andúnië, giving him the seven palantiri which would permit him and his people to maintain communication with the Eldar of Tol Eressëa.

Also, Isildur, Amandil’s grandson, stole a sapling of the White Tree of Numenor, which had been a gift to the Numenoreans by the Eldar of Tol Eressëa. The White Tree became the symbol of the High Kings of Arnor and Gondor. It seems reasonable to infer that through the gifts of the Eldar and the continuation of the Line of Nimloth the Valar had transferred Elros’ sacred royal status to Amandil and his descendants.

Therefore to depose the Kings of Gondor would have been an unforgivable act of rebellion. The Stewards had no choice but to accept that until such time as the Valar should annoint their house with royalty they could not claim the throne of Gondor, even though they ruled the kingdom in all but name for a thousand years.

I don’t believe Tolkien intended this restraint as a criticism of either the Carolingians or the Papacy. In fact, the Pope is considered to be God’s direct viceroy on Earth by Roman Catholics, so his approval of the Pepinid Dynasty’s deposition of the Merovingians legitimized their actions. The Stewards had no such support and therefore could not take action.

The Kings of Gondor (and Arnor) were therefore not simply kings but were sacred kings whose authority was derived from the authority of the Valar. Other kings could be elected to their positions by popular acclaim (as apparently Bard the Bowman was elected king of the restore Dale by his people).

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