Thengel
King of the Mark · Sixteenth King of Rohan
Also calledThengel son of Fengel
Rohanb. T.A. 2905 · d. T.A. 2980
Thengel, sixteenth King of Rohan and father of Théoden, spent his youth in Gondor in the service of the Steward Turgon, married Morwen of Lossarnach, and returned unwillingly to rule the Mark on his father's death. A good king, he restored the realm after Fengel's greedy reign, and the young Aragorn served him under the name Thorongil.
Biography
Lineage and exile
Thengel was born in 2905, the third child and only son of Fengel, fifteenth King of the Mark. Fengel was remembered as a greedy and quarrelsome king, at odds with his marshals and with his own children, and Thengel left Rohan as soon as he was grown and went south to Gondor, where he served the Steward Turgon with honour. In 2943 he married Morwen of Lossarnach, a lady of Númenórean descent seventeen years his junior, whom the Rohirrim afterward called Steelsheen. Three of their children were born in Gondor, among them their only son Théoden in 2948.
King of the Mark
Fengel died in 2953 and Thengel was called home to the throne. He went reluctantly, but he proved a strong and wise king, and set about mending the harm his father had done. Morwen came with him and bore him two more daughters in Rohan, the youngest of whom, Théodwyn, born in 2963, was the most beloved of all his children; she would become the mother of Éomer and Éowyn. Under Morwen's influence the speech of Gondor was used in the king's house at Edoras, and Sindarin was heard in Meduseld beside the tongue of the Mark.
It was in Thengel's reign that a young captain of the Dúnedain who called himself Thorongil came to Rohan and served in the king's household, before going on to serve Ecthelion of Gondor. This was Aragorn son of Arathorn, and his memory of Thengel's hall was one reason for the easy trust between him and the Rohirrim in the War of the Ring. Gandalf also came to Edoras in these years and was welcomed by the king.
Death and legacy
Thengel died in 2980 after a reign of twenty-seven years and was laid in the seventh mound of the second line at Edoras. Théoden succeeded him. Thengel is remembered in the histories as one of the better kings of the second line, and as the link through which the blood of the Númenóreans of Lossarnach entered the House of Eorl, so that Théoden and his heirs were kin, if distantly, to the lords of Gondor.
Notable deeds
- Served the Steward Turgon of Gondor in his youth
- Married Morwen Steelsheen of Lossarnach
- Restored the Mark after Fengel's misrule
- Took the young Aragorn, as Thorongil, into his service
Possessions
- The Golden Hall of Meduseld
Fate
Died in 2980 after twenty-seven years as king and was buried in the seventh mound of the second line at Edoras.
Relations
Family
Service and teaching
Places
Timeline
- T.A. 2905
Birth
Only son of King Fengel.
- T.A. 2943
Marries Morwen of Lossarnach
While in the service of Turgon, Steward of Gondor.
- T.A. 2948
Birth of Théoden
His only son is born in Gondor.
- T.A. 2953
Becomes King of the Mark
Returns to Rohan on Fengel's death.
- T.A. 2957
Thorongil enters his service
Aragorn begins his years of errantry in Rohan and Gondor.
- T.A. 2963
Birth of Théodwyn
His youngest and best-loved daughter, mother of Éomer and Éowyn.
- T.A. 2980
Death
Théoden succeeds him.
Sources
- The Lord of the Rings: AppendicesAppendix A, I (iv) The Stewards and II The House of Eorl; Appendix B
- The Two TowersBook III chapter 6
See also
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