Stewards of Gondor

The Stewards of Gondor were firstly the chief high councillors to the Kings of Gondor and then the rulers of Gondor, until the return of the rightful ruler King Aragorn II.

History

First created by the powerful King Rómendacil I, Steward was a chief counsellor to the Kings of Gondor, usually an elderly man not from the Royal House chosen for his wisdom and integrity, and was never permitted to go to war nor to go abroad. During the reign of King Minardil the House of Húrin was founded by his Steward, Húrin of Emyn Arnen and afterwards Stewards were generally chosen from his descendants. They were of high Númenórean blood, but not descendants of Elendil in the ruling line. During the time of the Steward Pelendur, the title became hereditary, passing the station of counsellor from father to son, much like the Kingship.

After the disappearance of King Eärnur, who left no heir to the throne of Gondor, the Steward Mardil Voronwë became the first of the Ruling Stewards in TA 2050. Mardil was the first of the Stewards to administer Gondor, and his descendants did so for 25 generations.

The Stewards watched over the throne until it could be reclaimed by a true King of Gondor, an heir of Elendil. When asked by his son Boromir how long a time must pass before a Steward could become a King, if the King did not return, Denethor II replied, "Few years, maybe, in other places of less royalty … In Gondor ten thousand years would not suffice" (reported by Faramir in The Two Towers).

The Stewards never sat on the throne of the King; instead, they sat on a simple chair of black stone placed below it. The symbol of their office was a white rod and their emblem the letters R.ND.R surmounted by three stars. Their flag was pure white, without any charge or device.

The Quenya name for the title is Arandur, "Servant of the King".

Known Stewards to the King of Gondor

Stewards to the King of Gondor (Between TA 492 & TA 541 - TA 2050)
Possibly many such Stewards since the creation of the office by Rómendacil I, the eighth King of Gondor.
1.	Húrin of Emyn Arnen	TA 1621 – TA 1634
Unnamed others that served the Kings up until Pelendur
2.	Pelendur	? - TA 1998
3.	Vorondil the Hunter	TA 1998 - TA 2029
4.	Mardil Voronwë	TA 2029 - TA 2050
No others until Faramir, 969 years later
5.	Faramir	TA 3019 - FO 82
6.	Elboron	FO 82 - ?

Ruling Stewards of Gondor

The Ruling Stewards of Gondor (TA 2050 - TA 3019)
1.	Mardil Voronwë "the Steadfast"	TA 2050 - TA 2080
2.	Eradan	TA 2080 - TA 2116
3.	Herion	TA 2116 - TA 2148
4.	Belegorn	TA 2148 - TA 2204
5.	Húrin I	TA 2204 - TA 2244
6.	Túrin I	TA 2244 - TA 2278
7.	Hador	TA 2278 - TA 2395
8.	Barahir	TA 2395 - TA 2412
9.	Dior	TA 2412 - TA 2435
10.	Denethor I	TA 2435 - TA 2477
11.	Boromir	TA 2477 - TA 2489
12.	Cirion	TA 2489 - TA 2567
13.	Hallas	TA 2567 - TA 2605
14.	Húrin II	TA 2605 - TA 2628
15.	Belecthor I	TA 2628 - TA 2655
16.	Orodreth	TA 2655 - TA 2685
17.	Ecthelion I	TA 2685 - TA 2698
18.	Egalmoth	TA 2698 - TA 2743
19.	Beren	TA 2743 - TA 2763
20.	Beregond	TA 2763 - TA 2811
21.	Belecthor II	TA 2811 - TA 2872
22.	Thorondir	TA 2872 - TA 2882
23.	Túrin II	TA 2882 - TA 2914
24.	Turgon	TA 2914 - TA 2953
25.	Ecthelion II	TA 2953 - TA 2984
26.	Denethor II	TA 2984 - TA 3019†

Soon after the death of Denethor II, Aragorn II was crowned King. The Steward Faramir, son of Denethor II, surrendered to the King his rod of office, but it was returned to him. Faramir nominally ruled briefly as Steward until Elessar's coronation, but since Faramir rested in the Houses of Healing, Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth took his place during much of that time. Though Faramir became Steward a month and a half before Elessar became King, Faramir is not considered one of the Ruling Stewards. King Elessar confirmed in Faramir and his descendants the office of Steward of Gondor, and granted him in addition the Principality of Ithilien, ensuring his line a position as counsellor of the King.

The original model for the Stewards of Gondor is probably the title of steward, a medieval king's follower in Europe. In England there arose a powerful office, that of Lord High Steward, which was the principle advisor to the monarch. The office has fallen into disuse, but remains to this day for coronations only. In France the Carolingian family were the Mayors of the Palace to the Merovingian Kings, ultimately usurping them to rule France.

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See House of Hador and Húrin for information on the Húrin of the First Age.

Translations

Foreign Language	Translated name
Arabic	مضيفو جوندور
Bosnian	Guverneri Gondor
Catalan	Senescals de Góndor
Chinese	剛鐸宰相
Croatian	Namjesnici Gondora
Czech	Správci Gondoru
Danish	Statholders af Gondor
Dutch	Stadhouders van Gondor
Esperanto	Intendantoj de Gondor
Estonian	Gondori kojaülemate
Finnish	Gondorin käskynhaltijat
French	Intendants du Gondor
Frisian	Steedhâlders fan Gondor (Western)
Galician	Senescal Rexentes de Gondor
German	Truchsessen von Gondor
Greek	Επίτροποι της Γκόντορ
Hungarian	Gondor Kormányzók
Indonesian	Pengurus-pengurus Gondor
Italian	Sovrintendente di Gondor
Japanese	ゴンドールの執政
Norwegian	Riksforstander av Gondor
Persian	کارگزاران گاندور
Polish	Namiestnicy Gondoru
Portuguese	Intendentes do Gondor
Russian	Наме́стники Го́ндора
Slovenian	Skrbniki Gondora
Spanish	Regentes de Gondor
Swedish	Rikshovmästare av Gondor
Turkish	Gondor'un Vekilharç Hükümdarlar
Ukrainian Cyrillic	Намісники Гондору