The Battle of Bywater was fought for control of Shire and Buckland. It was the final battle of the War of the Ring.
History[]
Background & prelude[]
The battle was precipitated by Saruman's takeover of the Shire and Buckland supported by Lotho Sackville-Baggins, and a band of Ruffians who acted as their enforcers. These events led to major alterations to the Shire, resented by many Hobbits as industrial and destructive. When the Hobbits Frodo, Merry, Pippin, and Sam returned after their adventures, they were angered, and with determination took up leadership of the Hobbits desiring to resist the tyranny of Saruman ("Sharkey") and the Ruffians. Soon, the Shire-folk and Bucklanders were rallied against the invaders and assembled a force.
Upon arriving in Bywater, Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin were questioned of their intentions by the Ruffian leader. After insulting Frodo, the leader's challenge of authority was met by Pippin, who declared himself a messenger of the King, and drew his sword against him. Sam and Merry followed suit, at which the leader and his men fled, leaving the four hobbits to raise the Shire, and to rally their troops. Merry used the Horn of Rohan to great effect, his call was met by many hobbits throughout that part of the Shire.
The battle[]
A ruffian snared in a Hobbit trap
After returning, then being surrounded by a ring of hobbits, the leader, now with more men, was pierced by four hobbit arrows as he attempted to break away and maim Merry. He died instantly, and his gang was rounded up and locked away. More Ruffians had been sent by Saruman to suppress the Hobbit revolt breaking out in Bywater. However, the Hobbits scouts gave them advanced warning. The Hobbits then devised a plan to surround and trap the Ruffians when they arrived. Makeshift mobile roadblocks were made out of carts and wagons, and after the Ruffians reached the center of the town the road was blocked in front and behind them. The Ruffians then tried to fight their way out through the Hobbits, some breaking through. These were then encircled and engaged until the battle was won.
The Hobbits were informally commanded by Merry and Pippin. Pippin was still a Knight of Gondor, as King Elessar had not released him from service but granted him indefinite leave, and when he departed Aragorn reminded Pippin that his restored kingship now extended to the old northern lands which included the Shire. Therefore, Pippin loosely saw himself as fighting off the Ruffians with the authority of the King supporting him. Sam Gamgee also fought in the battle. Frodo was also present at the battle, though he did not fight: he spent the battle making sure that no Ruffians who threw down their weapons were killed as well as making sure that none of the hobbits who had joined the Ruffians were killed stating that no hobbit had killed another hobbit and that it was not going to start there.
Aftermath[]
The next day, Frodo and his three companions, leading the Hobbits of the Shire, marched to Hobbiton. There Frodo confronted Saruman and exiled him from the Shire. Then Wormtongue killed Saruman by slitting his throat, on the very doorstep of Bag End. Before Frodo could react, the Hobbits shot Wormtongue dead with three arrows. The Battle of Bywater occurred on November 3, 3019 or SR 1419 by Shire Reckoning and was the last battle of the War of the Ring.[1]
In adaptations[]
The battle depicted in the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game
Although this scene did not appear in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, it was featured in the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game that was based off the films. It is the culmination of two game supplements The Scouring of the Shire (2005) and Scouring of the Shire (2019), both of which feature the lead up to the battle with previous conflict in the Shire prior to the return of Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin.
Translations[]
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
| Bulgarian Cyrillic | Битката в Крайречкино |
| Chinese (Hong Kong) | 臨水之戰 |
| Croatian | Bitka Po vodom |
| Czech | Bitva o Povodí |
| Danish | Slaget ved Sidenå |
| Dutch | Slag van Bijwater |
| French | Bataille de Lézeau |
| German | Schlacht von Wasserau |
| Greek | Μάχη της Βυωατερ ? |
| Hebrew | קרב ביווטר |
| Italian | Battaglia di Lungacque |
| Kannada | ಬೈವಾಟರ್ ಕದನದಲ್ಲಿ |
| Korean | 바이워터 전투 (강변마을 전투) |
| Polish | Bitwa nad Wodą |
| Romanian | Bătălia de la Bywater |
| Russian | Битва при Байуотере |
| Spanish | Batalla de Delagua |
References[]
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, Book Six, Chapter VIII: "The Scouring of the Shire"