Dale (Middle-earth)
|
|
Dale is a town in J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth.
In The Hobbit, Dale was a city of Men on the River Running between the Lonely Mountain and the Long Lake. It was ruled by Girion until its destruction in T.A. 2770 by the dragon Smaug.
It is situated in the shadow of the Lonely Mountain. It was deserted for many years while the mountain was under the control of Smaug the Dragon. The town was repopulated after the Battle of Five Armies (featured in The Hobbit) where Bilbo Baggins and his Dwarf companions broke into the dragon's stronghold to steal his treasure. During this period the Men of Esgaroth upon the Long Lake (a nearby town) managed to kill Smaug. The Battle of the Five Armies began as a squabble over whom the treasure belonged to. When this was settled the Dwarves restored their kingdom under the Lonely Mountain and Men began to settle once more in Dale.
Dale was sacked for a second time during the War of the Ring by invaders from the east. The people of Dale took refuge in Erebor with the Dwarves, and it was during the siege of Erebor that King Dáin II Ironfoot of Erebor and King Brand of Dale were slain. However, after the fall of Sauron the siege was broken and Dale rebuilt once more.
Gandalf the Grey was indirectly responsible for the rebuilding of Dale, in that he set in motion the quest that would result in the slaying of Smaug and provided vital aid to it. Some argue that he saw the upcoming War, and did this in a successful attempt to create one more front for Sauron.
Kings of the Kingdom of Dale
- Old Kingdom:
- Bladorion
- Girion
- Dale renewed:
- Bard the Bowman
- Bain
- Brand
- Bard II