The Lord of The Rings: Rise to War - discover the history of the One Ring with our Middle-earth timeline

It’s impossible to overstate the importance of The Lord of The Rings. Over 60 years since J.R.R. Tolkien’s groundbreaking saga was first published, it remains the most influential fantasy story of all time – and Peter Jackson’s Oscar-winning movie trilogy is just as beloved as the original novels.

So, now that you have the opportunity to take command of epic battles of your own in official game The Lord of The Rings: Rise To War, this timeline explains the key events in the history of Middle-earth, which you can relive by visiting the Red Book of Westmarch in The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War’s tavern.

• Second Age of Middle-earth (S.A.) 1500

  Location: Eregion

  Rings of power, containing “the strength and will to govern each race” of Middle-earth, are created in the Elven realm of Eregion – three for the immortal Elves, seven for the Dwarf Lords, and nine for mortal Men.

  As seen in: The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring 

• S.A. 1600

  Sauron the Dark Lord, forges “One Ring to Rule Them All” in the fires of Mount Doom in Mordor. He uses its immense evil power to conquer many of the lands of Middle-earth.
  As seen in: The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring

 

• S.A. 3441

  Location: Mount Doom

  A last alliance of Elves and Men fights back against Sauron’s forces on the slopes of Mount Doom. As the Dark Lord enters the battlefield, Elendil, the king of Men, is slain. His eldest son, Isildur, uses his father’s broken sword to cut off Sauron’s finger – in so doing, separating the One Ring from its master. Sauron is seemingly vanquished, but Isildur defies Elf Lord Elrond’s calls to destroy the Ring in the fires of Mount Doom, keeping the jewellery for himself. The Second Age of Middle-earth comes to an end.

  As seen in: The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring

• Third Age (T.A.) 2

  Location: Anduin River

  Isildur’s party is jumped by a group of Orcs. Isildur tries to escape, and uses the One Ring to disappear, diving into the nearby river. But he learns the hard way that the Ring has a will of its own, and it slides off his finger. Now visible to the Orcs, Isildur is killed by a barrage of arrows, and the Ring falls to the riverbed to be forgotten over the next 2,500 years.

  As seen in: The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring

• T.A. 2463

  Location: Gladden river

  A Hobbit named Déagol discovers the Ring after being pulled into the river by a big fish. His cousin and friend Sméagol is instantly drawn to the trinket, however, and kills his companion to get it. Sméagol is completely corrupted by the Ring, and ends up making his home in a cave in the Misty Mountains. Although the Ring grants him unnaturally long life, it gradually turns him into a twisted creature known as Gollum.

  As seen in: The Fellowship of The Ring, The Lord of The Rings: The Return of The King

• T.A. 2941

  Location: The Misty Mountains

  Having been recruited by Dwarf Lord Thorin Oakenshield to recover a hoard of treasure from the dragon Smaug, Hobbit Bilbo Baggins stumbles into Gollum’s cave. When the Ring slips away from Gollum, Bilbo takes it, leaving its previous owner bereft.

  The Fellowship of The Ring, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

• T.A. 3001

  Location: The Shire

  On his eleventy-first birthday, Bilbo Baggins leaves the Shire for one last adventure, bequeathing the One Ring to his nephew, Frodo Baggins.

  The Fellowship of The Ring

• T.A. 3018

  Location: The Shire

  Gandalf realises the true identity of the Ring, and orders Frodo to leave with his companion Samwise Gamgee. They are later on their journey by Hobbit friends, Meriadoc ‘Merry’ Brandybuck and Peregrin ‘Pippin’ Took – with Sauron’s Ringwraiths/Nazgûl in hot pursuit.

  The Fellowship of The Ring

• T.A. 3018

  Location: Rivendell

  The Council of Elrond assembles and decides that the Ring must be destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom, where it was forged. The Fellowship of the Ring (including Gandalf, the four Hobbits, the Ranger Aragorn, the Dwarf Gimli, the Elf Legolas, and Boromir, the heir of Gondor) leaves on a quest to carry out the deed.

  The Fellowship of The Ring

• T.A. 3019

  Location: Moria

  The Fellowship passes through the treacherous Mines of Moria. Gandalf disappears after falling into a chasm while battling a Balrog.

  The Fellowship of The Ring

• T.A. 3019

  Location: Amon Hen

  Boromir, who had tried to take the Ring from Frodo after leaving Lothlórien, is killed by an army ofUruk-hais. The Fellowship go their separate ways.

  The Fellowship of The Ring

• T.A. 3019

  Location: Helm’s Deep

  At the fortress of Helm’s Deep, the people of Rohan make a last stand against the Uruk-hai armies of Saruman, who has turned to the dark side. They are saved by the surprise appearance of the back-from-the-dead Gandalf the White, a lot of soldiers on horseback, and the coming of the Sun.

  The Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers

• T.A. 3019

  Location: Pelennor Fields

  As Sauron’s forces advance on the city of Minas Tirith, a vast assortment of soldiers from Rohan and Gondor fight back. Thanks to Eowyn killing chief Nazgûl the Witch King, and the last-minute intervention of an army of the dead, the forces of Men are victorious.

  The Return of The King

• T.A. 3019

  Location: Mount Doom

  When Frodo refuses to throw the One Ring into Mount Doom, Gollum bites off his finger to take it for himself. In the ensuing tussle, Gollum falls into the lava, destroying the Ring once and for all.

  The Return of The King

• T.A. 3019

  Location: Minas Tirith

  Aragorn is crowned king of Gondor.

  The Return of The King

• T.A. 3020

  Location: The Grey Havens

  Frodo, Bilbo, Gandalf, Galdriel and Elrond leave Middle-earth, departing for the Undying Lands.

  The Return of The King

Now it’s your turn to take command of the biggest armies in Middle-earth, courtesy of The Lord of The Rings: Rise To War. This officially licensed strategy game is set in the same universe as Peter Jackson’s movies, and made by NetEase, in association with Warner Bros Games. It’s available now to download from the App Store, Google Play, and Samsung Galaxy Store.