This article contains spoilers for The Silmarillion.The Lord of the Rings boasts literature’s greatest villain, and he came against Middle-earth in devastating assaults on numerous occasions. The eponymous villain of J.R.R. Tolkien’s 1954 novel fought only a few foes in single combat, and fewer still who won. But the Dark Lord Sauron was engaged in military leadership since the start of his allegiance to Morgoth at “the beginning of Arda” (The Silmarillion). As The Silmarillion states, “In all the deeds of… Morgoth upon Arda… Sauron had a part.” Initially a leader in Morgoth’s campaigns, Sauron soon overtook Morgoth as Middle-earth’s number one most wanted.
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Morgoth was defeated at the end of the First Age, leaving a leadership position open. Sauron foundered in uncertainty, contemplating repentance, “if only out of fear.” But he “arose again in Middle-earth… and turned back to… evil… becoming mighty in [Morgoth’s] service,” despite their differing goals and tumultuous relationship. After all, “the bonds that Morgoth had laid upon him were very strong” (The Silmarillion). By the Third Age, Sauron “claimed to be Morgoth returned,” complicating loyalty and repudiating repentance (The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien). Increasingly, Sauron warred against Elves and their allies without hesitation.
10 The War Of Wrath
First Age
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Sauron probably played a key role in the War of Wrath, which was so cataclysmic that it sunk the realm of Beleriand. It isn’t clear what Sauron did in the War of Wrath. However, he was “the greatest and most trusted of the servants of [Morgoth],” and the War of Wrath was Morgoth’s last hurrah before his defeat and imprisonment in the solitary confinement of the void (The Silmarillion). “Sauron fled” this battle, according to The Lost Road and Other Writings, which is understandable.
Eönwë,
“whose might in arms is surpassed by none in Arda,”
was Manwë’s herald, Manwë being King of the Valar.
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The Host of the Valar was bearing down on his army, along with Eärendil’s flying ship, the sight of which may have been a bit of a light-bulb moment for Sauron regarding his chances of success. Sensing that the tides were turning, Sauron relinquished whatever physical or tactical position he occupied in the War of Wrath and made for safety. Sauron was left feeling hopeless. Impressively, on the parts of both Sauron and Eönwë, they met to discuss the terms of Sauron’s surrender. Eönwë left, Sauron thought about it and decided that hopelessness was a small price for freedom.
9 The Siege Of Eregion
Second Age
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Sauron’s Sack of Eregion devastated a vibrant Elvish realm in the Second Age of Middle-earth. After refusing to heed Eönwë’s terms, Sauron slowly fell back into ambition and strength. In disguise, he got the Elves to help him forge his Rings of Power, which were how he planned to take over the world. Sauron made the One Ring, put it on, and the Elves he had deceived in Eregion were immediately aware of his identity and his plans to subdue them, as they wore rings that connected them to Sauron.
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|
Tolkienian Age |
Event Marking The Start |
Years |
Total Length In Solar Years |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Before time |
Indeterminate |
Indeterminate |
Indeterminate |
|
Days before Days |
The Ainur entered Eä |
1 – 3,500 Valian Years |
33,537 |
|
Pre-First Age Years of the Trees (Y.T.) |
Yavanna created the Two Trees |
Y.T. 1 – 1050 |
10,061 |
|
First Age (F.A.) |
Elves awoke in Cuiviénen |
Y.T. 1050 – Y.T. 1500, F.A. 1 – 590 |
4,902 |
|
Second Age (S.A.) |
The War of Wrath ended |
S.A. 1 – 3441 |
3,441 |
|
Third Age (T.A.) |
The Last Alliance defeated Sauron |
T.A. 1 – 3021 |
3,021 |
|
Fourth Age (Fo.A) |
Elven-ring bearers left Middle-earth |
Fo.A 1 – unknown |
Unknown |
“From that time war never ceased between Sauron and the Elves; and Eregion was laid waste, and Celebrimbor slain,” which was revealed in deeper detail in Unfinished Tales (The Silmarillion). In one version of this story – and there were a few – Celeborn led a sortie from Eregion, pushing back Sauron’s forces. According to “Appendix B” of The Lord of the Rings, Ost-in-Edhil – capital of Eregion – fell in S.A. 1697.
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8 The Battle Of The Gwathló
Second Age
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The Battle of the Gwathló was the last battle in the Second Age War of the Elves and Sauron, described in Unfinished Tales. After Sauron’s attack on Eregion, Sauron turned his attention to Lindon. The ever-wise Gil-galad, meanwhile, had called in the favors of Númenor, in the face of Sauron’s encroaching domination. They arrived in S.A. 1700 – too late for Eregion, but the Elves were fighting back across Eriador.
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|
Second Age Event |
S.A. Year |
|---|---|
|
Sauron began construction on Barad-dûr |
1000 |
|
Sauron befriended the Elves of Eregion as Annatar |
1200 |
|
Rings of Power were forged |
1500 |
|
The Three great Elven-rings were forged |
1590 |
|
The One Ring was forged, Barad-dûr was completed, Sauron openly proclaimed himself |
1600 |
|
Sauron began to prepare to invade Eriador |
1605 |
|
The War of the Elves and Sauron began |
1693 |
|
Sauron invaded Eriador |
1695 |
|
Sauron sacked Eregion and killed Celebrimbor. Rivendell was founded. The Dwarves assailed Sauron. Khazad-dûm closed |
1697 |
|
Sauron overran Eriador |
1699 |
|
Númenóreans defeated Sauron |
1700 |
|
Sauron was driven from Eriador and fled to Mordor. First White Council held |
1701 |
|
Ar-Pharazôn seized the scepter |
3255 |
|
Sauron became Pharazôn’s prisoner in Númenor |
3262 |
|
Númenor fell |
3319 |
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Númenóreans arrived just in the nick of time, and Sauron’s forces were driven back from the Lhûn. Forced south-east, Sauron’s troops were attacked from behind by a part of the Númenórean force. This Númenórean fleet arrived at the mouth of the Gwathló (the Greyflood River) and totally defeated Sauron, with his troops killed or dispersed and Sauron himself only just escaping.
7 The Siege Of Imladris
Second Age
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Sauron besieged Imladris – otherwise known as Rivendell – during his war against the Elves, as clarified in Unfinished Tales. After Sauron sacked Eregion, Elrond took a contingent of Elves to Rivendell, where he founded one of Elvendom’s most powerful strongholds. Sauron attacked Rivendell, keeping its residents locked into the area, without access to outside support or resources. Rivendell’s forces fought back.
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Amazon Prime Video’s
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
covers the Second Age and showed the Siege of Eregion in season 2.
Meanwhile, Sauron took the majority of his forces with him, continuing west. Sauron overran Eriador but was weakened by the loss of the soldiers he had left behind to besiege Rivendell. Eventually, the Númenóreans arrived to support the Elves. They won the Battle of the Gwathló. With Sauron’s forces diminished, Elrond was supported by Gil-galad in savaging the legion blockading Rivendell. Sauron escaped to Mordor, leaving Eriador in ruins.
6 The Battle Of The Dagorlad
Second Age
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After his war against the Elves, Sauron’s next military assault on Middle-earth was the Battle of the Dagorlad. After destroying Eriador and coming back to Mordor, Sauron got kidnapped by Númenóreans, rose to power in Númenor, drowned, and ended up back at home – in Mordor. Immortal Maiar spirit that he was, the death of the body was a mere inconvenience to Sauron. But it was a huge inconvenience. After the fall of Númenor, Sauron could never take a fair form again, losing one of the main tools in his deception toolbox.
Related How The Valar & Maiar Are Different In The Lord Of The Rings Explained
In J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, the Valar and the Maiar have a mysterious presence and the difference between the two is often confused.
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Nursing his soul and pride, Sauron rebuilt his body and army. When strong enough, he attacked Gondor, which had been founded by Elendil and his sons, after escaping Númenor’s fate. Gondor restrained Sauron’s army, giving Elendil and Gil-galad the chance to join forces as the Last Alliance and meet Sauron in battle on Dagorlad, the plain in front of Mordor. They beat Sauron back and besieged him in Mordor, forcing Sauron to meet them in person. Elendil and Gil-galad toppled Sauron but died in the process, leaving Isildur to cut the One Ring from his finger, seeing to his death.
5 The Raid On Mirkwood
Third Age
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After the War of the Last Alliance, the Second Age ended, bringing with it a new Sauron and a new threat. Although its foundations remained, the tower Barad-dûr was destroyed, while Sauron’s spirit “fled far away and hid in waste places.” At least some of this time was spent in the East. Sauron eventually returned west to Greenwood the Great, where he rebuilt a body and home. The spread of darkness led the region’s name to change to Mirkwood.
There is a good chance that Warner Bros.’ next live-action
LotR
movie,
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum,
will display Sauron’s raid on Mirkwood, as Gollum was there at the time.
The five Istari (Wizards) arrived in Middle-earth and Gandalf chased Sauron from Dol Guldur, though he wasn’t sure it was Sauron. This time, Sauron spent a full 400 years recovering in the eastern land of Rhûn, where he gathered many Easterling followers (The Peoples of Middle-earth). But Sauron came back and launched the War of the Ring in earnest with a raid on Mirkwood, looking for Gollum, lest he lead Sauron’s enemies to the One Ring.
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4 The Assault On Osgiliath
Third Age
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Sauron raided Mirkwood and attacked Osgiliath on the same day, starting the War of the Ring. On June 20, T.A. 3018, Sauron launched this double attack with a dual purpose. He aimed to retrieve Gollum from Mirkwood, who he had just finished interrogating and had only let go in the hope that he would lead him to the One Ring. He also aimed to cover up his intentions to find the One Ring.
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|
The Hunt For Gollum Timeline |
T.A. Year |
Month |
Date |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bilbo’s birthday party |
3001 |
September |
22 |
|
Gandalf started seeking news of Gollum and called on Aragorn’s help |
3001 |
Unknown |
Unknown |
|
Gandalf and Aragorn renewed their hunt for Gollum |
3009 – 3017 |
Unknown |
Unknown |
|
Sauron captured and tortured Gollum |
3009 – 3017 |
Unknown |
Unknown |
|
Sauron let Gollum go |
3017 |
Unknown |
Unknown |
|
Aragorn caught Gollum |
3017 |
Unknown |
Unknown |
|
Gollum escaped |
3018 |
June |
20 |
|
All trace of Gollum lost, Gollum thought to have entered Moria |
3018 |
August |
Unknown |
|
Frodo left Bag End |
3018 |
September |
23 |
|
Council of Elrond, meeting of the Fellowship |
3018 |
October |
25 |
|
Fellowship left Rivendell |
3018 |
December |
25 |
|
Fellowship reached West-gate of Moria |
3019 |
January |
13 |
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By attacking Gondor, Sauron hoped that the increasing appearance of the powerful Ringwraiths would seem no more than an expansion tactic, as opposed to the mad pursuit of the One Ring that it really was. In attacking Osgiliath, Sauron also aimed to test Denethor’s army. While this double attack was covered in “Appendix B” of The Lord of the Rings, it was expanded upon in Unfinished Tales.
3 The Assault On Lothlórien
Third Age
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Sauron attacked Lothlórien multiple times during the War of the Ring, but never succeeded in overtaking it. This was heavily because Galadriel and Celeborn led Lothlórien, and Galadriel possessed one of the three Elven-rings of Power that Sauron’s ageless smithing lore had guided but that he himself had never touched. These were the purest of the rings, and they protected their wearers from the decays of time, among other things.
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|
Elven-ring |
Name |
Gem |
First Owner |
Last Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Vilya |
The Ring of Air |
Sapphire |
Gil-galad |
Elrond |
|
Narya |
The Ring of Fire |
Ruby |
Círdan |
Gandalf |
|
Nenya |
The Ring of Water |
Adamant |
Galadriel |
Galadriel |
Vast, cavernous First Age Elvish strongholds protected by mountains and Maia magic – Doriath, Gondolin, and Nargothrond – all fell, while mere woodlands like Lothlórien and Rivendell withstood the might of Sauron. While many factors were at play here, the protective power of the Elven-rings certainly factored into it. Galadriel succeeded where even her brother, Finrod, failed. Finrod’s Nargothrond fortress was destroyed, unlike Lothlórien.
2 The Battle Of The Pelennor Fields
Third Age
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Coming toward the end of the War of the Ring, the Battle of the Pelennor Fields took place in the large fields east of Minas Tirith. Gondor had been under attack ever since the start of the War of the Ring and found itself thoroughly besieged by March of T.A. 3019. The Siege of Gondor was broken by the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, which ensued as the Rohirrim arrived to distract Sauron’s forces. Sauron was backed by Easterlings, Orcs, Oliphaunts, and some 18,000 Haradrim.
Related An Adaptation Of Tolkien’s Unfinished Time Travel Story Would Be Lord Of The Rings’ Zaniest Take On Sauron Yet
Sauron and Elendil hit college in the zaniest possible Lord of the Rings adaptation yet, based on one of J.R.R. Tolkien’s little-known novels.
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This huge battle is the centerpiece of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King movie, although it simplified and altered the source material. The Battle of the Pelennor Fields was the biggest battle of the Third Age and the setting of Éowyn’s legendary defeat of the Witch-king of Angmar, leader of the Ringwraiths. Of Rohan’s 6000 riders, 2000 were killed in battle, including Théoden, one of Lord of the Rings’ biggest heroes.
1 The Battle Of The Morannon
Third Age
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The Battle of the Morannon was the conclusive battle in the War of the Ring, during which time Frodo and Sam made it to the Sammath Naur – the Chambers of Fire. Aragorn led his troops to the Black Gate of Mordor, hoping to draw Sauron’s attention. Aragorn hoped that Sauron would believe that he had the One Ring, especially since he had previously revealed himself as the Heir of Isildur, via one of the Seeing Stones. Hugely outnumbered, Aragorn’s move was a last-ditch attempt to win the war by giving Frodo as much hope as possible of destroying the ring.
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While Aragorn reasoned with the Mouth of Sauron before experiencing Sauron’s might, Frodo, Sam, and Gollum reached the Chambers of Fire and successfully destroyed the One Ring. Sauron hadn’t put any of his forces into looking for threats in his own territory or guarding Mount Doom, instead directing them to the Battle of the Morannon. This was fatal for him, as the destruction of the One Ring ensured his final defeat in The Lord of the Rings. Sauron had poured so much of himself into the One Ring that he was incapable of building a new body after its annihilation.
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The Lord of the Rings is a multimedia franchise consisting of several movies and a TV show released by Amazon titled The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The franchise is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s book series that began in 1954 with The Fellowship of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings saw mainstream popularity with Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
Movie(s) The Lord of the Rings (1978) , The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring , The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers , The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King , The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey , The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug , The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies , The Lord of The Rings: The War of The Rohirrim Created by J.R.R. Tolkien First Film The Lord of the Rings (1978) Cast Norman Bird , Anthony Daniels , Elijah Wood , Ian McKellen , Liv Tyler , Viggo Mortensen , Sean Astin , Cate Blanchett , John Rhys-Davies , Billy Boyd , Dominic Monaghan , Orlando Bloom , Christopher Lee , Hugo Weaving , Sean Bean , Ian Holm , Andy Serkis , Brad Dourif , Karl Urban , Martin Freeman , Richard Armitage , James Nesbitt , Ken Stott , Benedict Cumberbatch , Evangeline Lilly , Lee Pace , Luke Evans , Morfydd Clark , Mike Wood , Ismael Cruz Cordova , Charlie Vickers , Markella Kavenagh , Megan Richards , Sara Zwangobani , Daniel Weyman , Cynthia Addai-Robinson , Lenny Henry , Brian Cox , Shaun Dooley , Miranda Otto , Bilal Hasna , Benjamin Wainwright , Luke Pasqualino , Christopher Guard , William Squire , Michael Scholes , John Hurt TV Show(s) The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Expand