In the first age, as the Atatanatari passed through the Middle Lands, travelling West
across the blue mountains into Beleriand, some chose to stay establish settlements along
the way.
Those that would continue on their journey west, would become known as the Edain, and
would ally themselves with the Elves in the wars against Morgoth, resulting in the Valar
gifting them long life and granting them the island of Numenor after the destruction of
Beleriand in the War of Wrath.
For many years the Numenoreans would thrive, until falling to the influence of the Dark
Lord Sauron and sailing west to wage war against the Valar of Aman.
This resulted in the destruction of the Islands and loss of most of their people, save for
a few who had remained faithful to Eru Iluvatar, and had not participated in the campaign against
the Valar.
These survivors would become known as the Dunedain, establishing the Kingdoms of Gondor
and Arnor in the Third Age.
Meanwhile their kin who stayed East of the Blue Mountains during the first Age, had not
participated in the wars of the west and so had shorter lifespans, and came to be known
as Middle Men or Men of Twilight by the Numenoreans of the 2nd age.
Recognizing a kinship between them, the Numenoreans and most Middle Men established friendly relations
and trade.
However such was not the case with the hostile and warlike men of Enedwaith and Minhiraith
in Southern Eriador.
For while most Middlemen descended from the Houses of Beor and Marach, these people were
related to the House of Haleth, and spoke a language not recognized by the men of Numenor.
And so despite their ancestry, they were not considered to be among the kin of the Edain,
leading to hostile relations between them for thousands of years.
Early on in the Third Age, the Middlemen who resided in Northern Rhovanion, coming to be
known as Northmen, or Free Men of the North, established a number of settlements including
the Kingdom of Rhovanion, who rose to become the most prominent and important nation of
the Northmen.
They also continued the tradition of friendship and alliance with Gondor, even fighting alongside
them in the wars against the Easterlings of Rhun, who were a constant threat to Rhovanion
and the West.
In the years 1248 of the 3rd Age, after a great victory against the Easterlings, pushing
them back beyond even the Sea of Rhun, Gondor and Rhovanion agreed to draw the border at
the Anduin River, granting all eastern lands to the Kingdom.
Yet centuries later, after a great plague devastated the north, the Easterlings tribes
returned, united as a confederation known as Wainriders waging a terrible war of conquest
against the Kingdom of Rhovanion, destroying their nation and enslaving their people.
Eventually, with the help of Gondor the Northmen rebelled and pushed the Easterlings back,
but the Kingdom was gone and their population had been drastically reduced.
Some of the Northmen who survived the wars would come to inhabit the lands of Dale and
Laketown, while others followed their leader Marhwini south to the Vales of Anduin between
the Gladden Fields and Mirkwood, this faction would come to be known as the Eotheod, meaning
horse-people, famed for their mounted warriors.
Years later, after the fall of Angmar and the defeat of the Witch King, Chieftain Frumgar
of the Eotheod moved his people North, to inhabit the lands near to the Grey Mountains.
Where they came to establish the settlement of Framsburg as their capital, named for Frumgar’s
legendary son Fram who would earn renown for slaying the dragon Scatha who plagued the
Grey Mountains.
And while the spoils of victory were plentiful, with Fram claiming the treasure Scatha had
guarded, this action also earned the hatred of the Dwarves, whose possessions had been
stolen by the Dragon and therefore wanted them returned.
But Fram instead only sent a necklace, made up of the teeth of Scatha and a letter they
took as an insult.
This would lead to centuries of hatred between the Dwarves and Eotheod.
Generations later, the Lordship of the Eotheod fell to Eorl, son of Leod.
During his reign they were visited by a messenger of Gondor, representing Cirion, Steward of
Gondor, and bearing the Red Arrow as a call for aid against Eastern invaders.
Eorl, recognizes that if Gondor fell, all of West would be threatened, and so led his
armies south to defend the plains of Calenardhon, a large, sparsely populated territory within
the realm.
These lands south of the Misty Mountains were being invaded by a group of Easterlings known
as the Balchoth who had nearly succeeded in defeating the armies of Gondor, until Eorl
the Young and his Eotheod warriors arrived, beating back the Eastern invaders and scattering
their forces at the Battle on the field of Celebrant.
As a reward for their assistance in defeating the Balchoth, Cirion granted the Eotheod the
territory of Calenardhon, allowing them to migrate their people south and settle in these
prosperous lands.
Eorl was so grateful to Gondor for the generosity, he pledged eternal friendship and alliance
with Gondor, vowing to fight at their side should they ever need assistance, and Cirion
did the same, establishing an important alliance between them that would use the Red Arrow
as a means of summoning the Rohirrim to the defense of Gondor.
Gondor would then come to call these lands Rohan and its people the Rohirrim, while the
descendants of Eorl and the Eotheod referred to themselves as Eorlingas of the Riddermark.
The people of Rohan were known to speak Rohirric, a language similar to Aduniac, the language
of the Edain.
The Hobbits of the Shire also shared some language similarities with Rohirric since
they once lived near the Anduin, close to the ancestors of the Rohirrim and influence
each other’s cultures and language with even the term Hobbit, derived from the Rohirric
Holbytla meaning hole builder.
Important areas within their borders would come to include
Their capital of Edoras and the city of Aldburg.
The Gap of Rohan, separating the Misty mountains from the White Mountains, The refuge of Dunharrow,
the fortress of the Hornburg and the larger area of Helm’s Deep in the White Mountains.
King Eorl, ruled the newly established Kingdom of Rohan for 35 years, until meeting his end
in battle once again defending these lands against the Easterlings.
The throne then passed down to Eorl’s son Brego best known for making Edoras their capital,
with the Golden Hall Meduseld built as the home and royal hall of the King.
Brego was succeeded by his second son Aldor, after his eldest son Baldor was lost travelling
the Paths of Dead.
Aldor lived a long life and ruled for many years, with his reign considered by many a
golden age, during which they expanded their lands and established Dunharrow as a refuge
for their people.
His reign is also known, for having dealt a crippling blow to the Wild Men of Dunland,
who once lived in the hills and valleys of these lands, but were driven off over many
years, as the Rohirrim migrated into the territory.
During the time of King Aldor, this campaign took a great step forward, as the Dunlendings
were chased across the Gap of Rohan.
And while this allowed for the Rohirrim to expand and prosper, the Wild Men would never
forget the theft of their lands, becoming there bitterest of enemies, and taking every
opportunity to conduct raids against them.
Aldor was then succeeded by his son Frea, followed by Freawine and Goldwine.
Rule then fell to Deor, seventh king of Rohan.
During his reign, the Dunlendings who had been subdued for a time, once again proved
a threat, invading their northern lands.
And while King Deor led an army to drive back their enemy, they learned the Wild Men had
taken Isengard, an impenetrable fortress which the Rohirrim could not defeat.
And so Rohan was forced to live with this Dunlending threat, defending against raids
and attacks across their lands.
As a result Deor’s son and heir Gram would spend all 23 years of his reign at war with
the Wild Men, until succeeded by his own son, known to history as Helm Hammerhand, ninth
King of rohan.
Helm would also spend the entirety of his reign at war, as the Dunlending threat continued
to grow.
One of the enemy leaders was now a man named Freca, who claimed to be a descendant of King
Freawine, and therefore was of both Dunlending and Rohirrim descent.
Freca believed that he could use his powerful position to intimidate King Helm, and so led
a large army to Edoras, where he attempted to negotiate a marriage alliance where Helm’s
daughter would marry Freca’s son Wulf.
However the King of Rohan recognized this as an attempt for the Dunlendings to get closer
to the throne and so refused the offer leading to an exchange of Harsh words, ending in Helm
striking and killing Freca with a single powerful blow.
He then declared Freca’s son Wulf and his people enemies of Rohan.
Four years later, the King led an army to confront them in the north.
However, Wulf was ready for the attack, marching his army out of Isengard and defeating King
Helm in battle.
The Wild Men then invaded Rohan in full force even killing Helm’s son Haleth as he defended
the capital of Edoras, while the rest of the Rohirrim fled west to the Hornburg.
Unfortunately for King Helm and his people, their allies in Gondor were unable to help,
as they were busy fighting a war of their own against the Corsairs of Umbar.
And so the Dunlendings overran the territory, besieging the Hornburg to starve out their
enemies.
Wulf then took the throne of Rohan, ruling for a time that came to be known as the Long
Winter.
Meanwhile, Helm Hammerhand grew gaunt and grim, as his people suffered during the siege.
Watching his enemies from the fortress that would later be named Helm’s Deep in his
honor, King Helm could no longer stand by while his people were slowly exterminated.
And so he began a one man stealth campaign, leaving the fortress in dead of night, to
kill Dunlending warriors with his bare hands.
Adding to the terror he created, Helm would also sound a deep and ominous horn from inside
the fortress before leaving for his nightly killings, warning his enemies that death was
coming.
However Helm could not keep up his work forever, and one night froze to death outside the fortress.
Once winter passed and spring returned, Helm’s nephew Fréaláf Hildeson led a small army
from the refuge of Dunharrow and took back the capital of Edoras, killing Wulf to become
the tenth king of Rohan.
With Gondor having defeated the Corsair threat, they were now able to aid the Rohirrim in
driving the Dunlendings back and retaking Isengard which would be granted to Saruman
the White, a powerful wizard who was considered a great ally of the Kingdoms of Men.
Frealaf would then be succeeded by his son Brytta, who made Rohan a prosperous land once
more, however it would be during his reign that the Orcs of the Misty Mountains began
to migrate south, after suffering devastating losses in the War of the Dwarves and Orcs.
The Rohirrim would then begin a campaign to drive these creatures from their lands, continuing
during the reign of Bytta’s son and heir Walda, who ruled for 9 years before being
killed in an orc attack.
His son Folca then took the throne and destroyed every last Orc Stronghold in Rohan.
Folca died during a hunt to kill the great boar of the Firien Wood, and was succeeded
by his son Folcwine, who ruled for many years, once again engaging the Dunlendings who were
encroaching on their lands, and sending his sons Folcred and Fastred to lead a Rohirrim
army to help defend Southern Gondor against the Haradrim.
Both men were killed in the fighting and so the Steward of Gondor Turin II, paid a rich
weregild to the King of Rohan, in honor of their sacrifice.
Folcwine’s third son Fengel then inherited the throne, followed by his own son Thengel.
Under the rule of King Thengel, Captain Thorongil, later revealed to be Aragorn son of Arathorn,
came into the service of Rohan and Gondor, earning a great reputation as he fought for
the defense of both realms.
After Thengel’s death, his son Theoden became King, and proved wise, kind hearted and valiant
in battle.
However, by 3014, the royal court had been infiltrated by Grima Wormtongue, a servant
of Saruman who use used spells and witchcraft to manipulate the king to issue orders that
benefited the White Wizard’s greater plans, as he attempted to temporarily ally with the
Dark Lord Sauron, against the Free People’s of Middle Earth, in the hopes of capturing
the One Ring of Power for himself.
Saruman then began sending his orc and Uruk-hai armies to invade Rohan, as well as allying
with the Dunlendings, granting them the opportunity to take revenge against their hated enemies.
Although Theoden’s son Theodren and nephew Eomer attempted to defend the realm as the
War of the Ring intensified, Grima’s manipulation of the King worked against them.
And after Theodren’s death in the First Battle of the Fords of Isen, the realm fell
further into disrepair, made worse when Grima arranged for Eomer to be arrested.
However, as the Wizard Gandalf worked to organize and prepare the Free People’s for the war
against Sauron, he ventured to Edoras to consult with the King but instead discovered Theoden
peril.
And so he broke the spell which haunted him, allowing for Eomer to be released and Grima
banished from the realm.
Theoden then led his army against Saruman in the north, but with their outer defenses
breached, were overrun by enemies, and so made a strategic retreat south to Helm’s
Deep, using the fortifications of the area to their advantage.
The Rohirrim fought valiantly, yet were pushed back into the Hornburg and Glittering Caves,
with the forces of Isengard breeching their outer defenses, victory within their grasp.
And so the King alongside his ally Aragorn, led a final charge against them, and with
the aid of Gimli the Dwarf and Eomer, who led a second charge from the Glittering caves,
successfully pushed the enemy back.
The remaining Rohirrim then discovered that the forest race of Huorns had come to their
aid, cutting off the enemies retreat, while the wizard Gandalf joined them with an army
of fresh warriors as reinforcements.
With all three armies pressing the attack, the enemy forces were destroyed, and thanks
to the Huorns and Ents, who had also attacked and captured Isengard, the Orcs and Uruk-hai
that survived had nowhere to retreat.
King Theoden then received a messenger from Gondor, bearing the Red Arrow and asking for
Rohan’s aid in the coming fight against the armies of Sauron.
And so the King gathered his men and rode to their defense at the Battle of the Pelennor
Fields, where Theoden killed a Chieftain of the Haradrim.
However Theoden was then mortally wounded by the lord of the Nazgul, also known as the
Witch King of Angmar, who sought to kill the ruler of Rohan.
Yet Eowyn, the Theoden’s niece and a small hobbit named Merry, stood in his way, prepared
to defend the king with their lives.
Although they normally would stand no chance against him, Merry had been gifted a barrow-blade
by Tom Bombadil, specifically crafted many years earlier by a weaponsmith of Arthedain
to defeat the Witch King, and so when the creature stood ready to kill Eowyn, Merry
stabbed him in the back of the knee with the enchanted blade, breaking the spell which
protected his body and allowing for Eowyn to drive her sword through his head.
And while King Theoden soon died from his wounds, the realms of men proved victorious
in the battle.
Eomer, who now inherited the rule of Rohan, then led his warriors alongside the forces
of Gondor, to confront Sauron at the Black Gate, in order to distract his armies thereby
giving time for Frodo Baggins to reach Mount Doom and destroy the one ring of power.
And so it was, that after the defeat of Sauron and destruction of the one ring, Eomer made
Rohan a prosperous kingdom once more.
With his sister Eowyn marrying Faramir, son of the last Steward of Gondor, thereby strengthen
their ties to their longtime allies, now under the rule of Aragorn who would be known as
King Elessar, heir of Isildur, and rightful King of Gondor and Arnor.
The friendship and alliance between Elessar and Eomer would see them continue to draw
swords together for years, as Gondor and Rohan eliminated the last remnants of the Dark Lord's
armies.