| Battle of Five Armies | |
|---|---|
 The darkest hour during the battle. | |
| Conflict: Pre-War of the Ring | |
| Date: November 23, TA 2941 | |
| Place: Kingdom of Erebor, the ruined city of Dale, and the ruins of Raven Hill | |
| Outcome: Victory for the Dwarves, Elves, and Humans Death of Azog the Defiler | |
| Combatants | |
| Dale Erebor Iron Hills Mirkwood Misty Mountains |
Dol Guldur Mount Gundabad Misty Mountains |
| Commanders | |
| Bard Thranduil Thórin Oakenshield† Percy Hilda Bianca Legolas Greenleaf Tauriel Balin |
Azog† Bolg† Margush† Ragash† |
| Strength | |
| 20,000-25,000 Elves of Mirkwood and 8000-9000 Northrons of Esgaroth and Dale unite first to negotiate with Thórin. 12,000-17,000 Dwarves of the Iron Hills arrive. Near the end of the battle, 1000-1200 Great Eagles arrive to turn the tide of the battle. |
More than 70,000-80,000 Orcs of Dol Guldur, 4000-5000 Goblin Mercenaries of the Misty Mountains, 800-900 Ogres, 400-500 Trolls arrive from the south. Later reinforced by 30,000-50,000 Orcs of Mount Gundabad+2440-2500 Bats of Mount Gundabad that arrived from the north. |
| Casualties | |
| Heavy | Complete destruction of Azog and Bolg's Army; survivors scatter and retreat |
The Battle of Five Armies was a huge conflict that took place in the Kingdom of Erebor, the ruined city of Dale, and the ruins of Raven Hill. It was a war where the Dwarves of the Iron Hills, Elves of Mirkwood, and Humans of Dale and Esgaroth unite under a single banner and battle against the Orcs of Dol Guldur and Mount Gundabad.
History[]
Prelude[]
In TA 2941, Thórin and Company, including the "master-thief" Bilbo Baggins, continued their mission to recapture the heirloom of their fathers, finding the Arkenstone, and killing the dragon Smaug who took Erebor. Finding the hidden door, the company believed they the last light of Durin's Day came from the sun, but it turns out that it came from the light of the full moon when Bilbo solved the riddle. Now that the doorway was opened, Bilbo was tasked by the company to find the Arkenstone. Bilbo had already done some exploration of the old hallways using the Back Door and had stolen a golden cup from the treasure. By this deed and by Bilbo's bold speech Smaug's anger was kindled. Smaug awoke and did a cat-and-mouse with Bilbo until he decided to devour him. That was when Thórin and his company arrive to help Bilbo, but they all end up trapped, and there was no way to escape whilst the dragon was hunting them. Thórin wasn't willing to give up, and continued his plan to kill Smaug. Splitting up, they managed to lure Smaug into the forges, and made their attempt to assassinate the dragon once and for all. Using the melting gold to drown the dragon, the plan failed when Smaug freed himself with the might of his strength.
Erroneously believing, due to some remarks Bilbo had made during his conversation with Smaug, that some scheme of the humans of Esgaroth was the reason for the Dwarves' (and Bilbo's) presence, Smaug flew to Esgaroth to show them who is "the true King under the Mountain". Smaug's fires burned down the whole town, but the dragon was killed by Bard the Bowman and his son Bain, using the last Black Arrow that Girion failed to use. The arrow pierced inside the dragon's empty scale, and Smaug fell to the bottom, killing Calamar Moneybags when he made his attempt to escape. Word was spread all over the region of Rhovanion and many who lived there would be thrilled that the dragon was finally dead. All of Esgaroth was destroyed, and many surviving civilians and guards had safely reached the shores of the Long Lake, gathering the wounded and any item they could spare. When Alfrid Lickspittle, who also survived when the Master betrayed and pushed him off the boat due to the heavy weight of the treasure, made an attempt in taking command of the survivors since he was the Master's deputy, but due to his greed and cowardice, the people rejected him and proudly agreed to follow Bard for saving them and killing Smaug.
Preparing for War[]
Bard in front of an army of Elves.
Arriving to the ruin city of Dale, Bard and his people take shelter in the old ruins, Discovering that Thórin and his company survived, Bard would plan on negotiating with Thórin if he kept his promise in sharing the treasure hoard of Thrór. For several reasons Bard, being heir of Girion, Lord of Dale, claimed one twelfth of the treasure: first, he was the dragonslayer and without him, the Dwarves could never have reclaimed their old home. Second, a great deal of Dale's treasure had been robbed by Smaug and thus belonged rightfully to Bard and not the Dwarves. Third, the humans of Esgaroth had helped the Dwarves on their journey and now had suffered severely; their whole city burned to the ground and their stocks being destroyed by Smaug, whose anger in the end was only risen by the Dwarves alone. Therefore they demanded compensation and Bard intended to pay it from the part of the treasure he claimed.
Running low on food and water, Bard hired Alfrid Lickspittle to take the night watch, but when he dozed off while a host of Elves arrived. The Elves of Mirkwood had learned that Smaug had been killed and thus set forth to claim the gems that Thranduil wanted. Having heard of the disaster that had struck the befriended men, the Elven host turned aside to offer any help that could be provided. As Thranduil was ready to lead his army towards the front gate of Erebor, Bard managed to stop them from doing so, and pleaded Thranduil to let him speak with Thórin and avoid war. Thranduil was forced to agree, and allowed Bard to travel to the mountain on horseback. The plan to negotiations did not go well when Thórin rebuked these claims. He would not fulfill any of the conditions as long as an armoured Elven host camped near Erebor. For the Elves did not have any claims on the treasure and Thórin himself had been imprisoned by the Elves. Bard was forced to leave, and assist Thranduil in laying siege on the mountain. Sending a message to all of Rhovanion, thousands of Northrons, as well as the Wood-folk, arrived to Dale to provide food, support, and aid to Bard's people.
Setting Dale as their actual base, a united host of Elves and Northrons were ready to lay siege until Gandalf to inform them on what is coming. Azog the Defiler leads an army of Orcs to lay siege on the mountain and claim it under the orders of Sauron, who was destined to reclaim every land that belonged to the Kingdom of Angmar. Believing they would be caught in a bloodless siege between the Dwarves and Orcs, Thranduil suggested that he and Bard would lead their armies, take Erebor, and use it as their stronghold before the Orcs arrive. The plan was halted when Bilbo Baggins snuck into Dale and gave them the Arkenstone that he kept and refused to give it to Thórin due to the sickness he succumbed like his grandfather.
The Battle Begins[]
The Elves aid the Dwarves and battle the Guldur Orcs.
The next day, the Elves of Mirkwood and the armed Northrons of Rhovanion gather at the entrance of the Lonely Mountain. Thranduil and Bard ride at the front, where Thórin threatens to kill them if they get any closer. This forced an armed battalion of elves to load their bows, but Thranduil raised his hand to signal them to stand down. Bard unveils the Arkenstone at the gates of Erebor and Thórin believed that the two leaders were taking him for a fool and that the Arkenstone was still in the mountain, but when Bilbo reveals the truth that it was he who kept it and gave it to them. Thórin was enraged and believed Bilbo betrayed him. Ordering his company to throw Bilbo off the rampart, they refused and an angry Thórin does it himself, but the dwarves hold off their leader until Gandalf approaches at the front with Bard and Thranduil, telling Thórin that Bilbo is his to keep.
A cavalry of Dwarves riding on rams charge against the Elves.
Stuck between two choices, Thórin began to hesitate on what he should do, but Thranduil had enough of this and believed that the dwarf would not fulfill his word. The Elven King suggested that the Arkenstone should be delivered to Ecthelion II of Gondor, and Bard would be given an excellent price. Thórin was enraged and would kill them if they tried, but since he and his company were outnumbered by a vast host of Elves and Northrons, there was no chance to win. However, hope sparked when one of the ravens returned to Erebor. It is revealed that Thórin had sent messages of his plight to his relatives using talking messenger Ravens that lived on the Lonely Mountain. These reached Dáin Ironfoot of the nearby Iron Hills, and he marched to the Lonely Mountain with a vast army of heavily armed Dwarves, most skilled veterans of the War of the Dwarves and Orcs.
Thórin and his company cheer at their arrival as Dáin shouts for his cousin, hailing him as the King. Riding on a boar, Dáin approaches the two armies and demands them to leave or he will have no choice but to fight. Gandalf tried to reason with Dáin and warn of Azog's forces that were coming. Dáin refused to believe Gandalf's words or even stand down before any elf. He also accused Thranduil for turning his back and now laying siege on his grandfather's kingdom. Dáin rides back to his army and orders his top commanders to summon a cavalry a large cavalry Dwarven Rams to attack first. Thranduil ordered Bard to lead his army away while he leads his to engage the Dwarves. Battalions of Elves load up their bows and open fire on the oncoming cavalry, but the Dwarves used half-a-dozen heavy crossbows to destroy the arrows and allow the cavalry to crash into the elves. A brief fight between the Dwarves and Elves came to a halt when Azog's massive orc forces arrive.
Siege of Dale[]
Upon the arrival of Azog's massive orc forces, Dáin Ironfoot rallies his troops and leads about 800 Dwarven warriors to battle against the Orc armies first while the Dwarven Rams remained behind and stopped fighting the elves until they were ready to engage the actual enemy. The dwarves set up a shieldwall and stand their ground as the orcs charge toward them in a massive wave. Before the orcs collide with the dwarves, Thranduil dispatches several hundred of his elf-warriors to launch a surprise frontal attack. The distraction is enough for the dwarves to break their shieldwall and charge into the ranks of the orcs with lowered spears. Dáin on his armored war hog and Thranduil on his giant stag fight in the front ranks, slaying dozens of orc warriors in the process. The Dwarven Cavalry charge as well along with the rest of the elves. Dáin signals the rest of the Dwarves to engage.
A group of trolls prepare to attack Dale.
Seeing the first wave of his troops being cut to pieces by the elves and dwarves, Azog signals his war beasts to attack. Hundreds of Wargs and Warg riders, accompanied by amputated war trolls, armored mountain trolls, Ogres, and thousands of Goblin Mercenaries pour out of the tunnels and advance upon the dwarves and elves. Thranduil rallies his archers, who fire a barrage of arrows at the war beasts and slay several of them in the process. Dáin and Thranduil then throw the rest of their troops into the fray and launch a fresh attack, inflicting heavy casualties on the forces of Azog the Defiler. Eventually, Azog seizes the opportunity and orders a full-scale attack on the city of Dale. A force consisting of Guldur Orcs, Goblin Mercenaries, Trolls, and Ogres began their advance towards the walls of Dale, while seven massive trolls, each of them carrying a catapult on their backs manned by a crew of seven Goblin Mercenaries climb out of the tunnels and set up their positions on a hilltop facing Dale.
Darkest Hour[]
Dain fights off against the Guldur Orcs.
Raven Hill[]
Aftermath[]
Appearances[]
- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (First appearance)