The Third Kingdom of Dale: History

EARLY HISTORY
Humans first travelled to the lands which would later be known as Rhovanion in the First Age, when the race of Men awoke at the first rising of the sun and roamed across Arda. Eventually many of them settled in the region of Rhovanion, where they lived in clans and tribes, and built small villages. Very little is known about these early Northmen until the beginning of the Third Age, so it is widely assumed they lived a very primitive lifestyle; this may be elaborated on in a different article.

During the Third Age, expeditions from the Númenoreans of Gondor reached Rhovanion, bringing with them more advanced technology. The people of Rhovanion began to build fortifications and make for themselves weapons over time, as the threat of hordes of Easterlings coming to raid their land became more common. They united into what is referred to as the Kingdom of Rhovanion to face this threat. Their fear would be realised when the Balcoth and Wainriders, two Easterling nations, invaded Rhovanion and enslaved many of its people. When the Easterlings withdrew from Rhovanion, the Kingdom of Rhovanion collapsed and the survivors of the war resumed their tribal and uncivilised behaviour, fighting each other for resources and to survive.

THE CITIES OF DALE AND ESGAROTH, AND THE WAR OF THE RING
Dale first appeared as a trading town built near the Lonely Mountain, in which the dwarven Kingdom of Erebor prospered. Dale got rich from trade with the dwarves and elves, acting as the main marketplace for the north, as the dwarves rarely let foreigners enter their mountain. It grew to become a city, renowned for the talents of its craftsmen, and being nicknamed the "City of Golden Bells". However, in TA 2770, Smaug the dragon attacked Dale and Erebor, forcing its people to flee. The refugees made a new home in Esgaroth, also known as Lake-Town. They lived there for a couple hundred years, until Prince Thorin of Erebor came with a company of dwarves and a Hobbit to reclaim Erebor. Bard the Bowman, a direct descendant of Lord Girion, who founded the city of Dale, managed to kill Smaug with the Black Arrow, fired from his longbow. After Smaug was killed, the riches in Erebor lay undefended, so the Northmen of Dale and Esgaroth quickly formed an army to seize it. Supported by the elves, they allied with the dwarves when a host of orcs from Gundabad and the Misty Mountains attacked them. The battle that followed was the Battle of the Five Armies, and the Dalish emerged victorious, although at a terrible cost.

Bard however, rebuilt the city of Dale, and the Kingdom of Dale was brought into being. For his efforts Bard was crowned as the first King of Dale, and his descendants, relatives and those in the service of his royal house were named "Bardings". When Bard died, his son Bain ruled the Kingdom of Dale, expanding its territories to the east and south until it reached the rivers Carnen and Celduin. When King Bain passed away, his son Brand took the throne. Brand managed to repel raiders from Rhovanion in the south, by building forts and strengthening his army. These forces would be put to the test.

In TA 3017, an ambassador from Mordor arrived outside the Lonely Mountain, demanding that Dale and Erebor surrender to the Dark Lord Sauron. When King Brand refused, Sauron's armies invaded Dale during the War of the Ring, swiftly defeating Brand's army and moving across his land with speed, overrunning his defences. A combined force of orcs and Easterlings even managed to besiege and take the City of Dale, sacking ti and forcing the Dalishmen to retreat into the Lonely Mountain. There they made their last stand, and when Sauron's Ring of Power was destroyed, and Gondorian forces defeated Mordor's forces in the south, the dwarves and Dalishmen sallied out to repel the Easterlings and orcs. King Brand died in this battle, although the Kingdom of Dale survived for many decades more.

THE FOURTH AGE, DECLINE AND REVIVAL
The Second Kingdom of Dale prospered throughout the earlier years of the Fourth Age. However, at some point, for reasons unknown, it faded into obscurity, and the capital lost control of its territories in the east. With the absence of a king nor government to lead them, rival tribes, clans and warlords along the Redwater fought against each other in a conflict that lasted almost a hundred years. All semblance of unity had disappeared, with neighbouring villages frequently attacking each other because they worked for different warlords. Not even Central Dale, which was relatively stable, could escape the chaos, having to build fortifications to protect themselves from the anarchy in the east to keep out raiding parties.

In 390 of the Fourth Age, a southerner named Tankrid became the leader of Ankorien Poltzen, a fortified town near Redwater Ford. He managed to subjugate the other warlords, and united the tribes, clans and factions into the Earldom of Redwater. Together with the Gilnea-Bardings, who were a prestigious noble family in the cities of Dale, Proudhaven and Gilneas, a new Dalish government was formed, and the Third Kingdom of Dale was declared. The new Third Kingdom of Dale was very different compared to its predecessors, especially regarding its organisation and system of ruling. These differences were met with heavy criticism, and at one point, Dale was annexed by the dwarves and the Gondorians. Nevertheless, the Third Kingdom of Dale survived the occupation through masterful diplomacy, and even managed to double its original landmass.