War of the Ring - Definition and Overview

In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, the War of the Ring ended the Third Age. It was initiated by Sauron, who had gained strength since the end of the Second Age and sought the One Ring. During the War of the Ring, many thousands of Men of Rohan and Men of Gondor were killed.

Wars were fought in different places in Middle-earth, including Gondor, Rohan and the Lonely Mountain. Wars were also fought by the Men of Dale. These wars were primarily waged against Sauron's forces, but Saruman, a third contender, also had armies, who fought battles at the Fords of Isen and Helm's Deep.

For practical purposes, the War of the Ring ended with Sméagol's destruction of the One Ring. However, fighting was still going on in many parts of Middle-earth. The war is not considered to have ended until after the Battle of Bywater and, shortly after, the deaths of Saruman and Wormtongue.

Battles of the War of the Ring:

• Battles of the Fords of Isen
• Battle of Isengard
• Battle of the Hornburg
• Battle of Dale
• Battle of the Pelennor Fields
• Battle at the Black Gate
• Battle of Bywater

"'War of the Ring" is also the name of several games based on the novel, including

• a board and counter wargame published by SPI in the 1977. Through two editions and various printings this game was available into the late 1980's
• a Real-time strategy computer game published by Sierra in 2003
• a board and minature wargame published by Nexus Editrice in 2004

The War of the Ring is the title of the eighth volume of The History of Middle-earth.