The Complete Tolkien Companion by J. E. A. Tyler

fallen and burn them in a great fire, rather than leave them to wolf and worse. Accordingly, in Dwarf-lore, a ‘Burned Dwarf’ was one of those warriors who fell at Azanulbizar. They were greatly honoured in memory.
    Battle of Bywater (November 3rd, 1419 Shire Reckoning/3019 Third Age) – The final battle of the War of the Ring, in which the agents of Saruman were defeated and driven out of the Shire by a Hobbit-force led by Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took, and the first to be fought in the Shire for nearly three hundred years.
    Battle of Dagorlad (3434 Second Age) – The greatest battle of the Second Age, in which the forces of Sauron the Great were put to flight or utterly destroyed by the Last Alliance of Elves (led by Gilgalad son of Fingon) and Men (led by Elendil the Tall). It was a stupendous conflict: even a full Age later, the area north of the Black Gate was still widely known as ‘Battle Plain’. The many graves of Men, Elves and Orcs there were eventually swallowed up by marshland.
    After the victory of Dagorlad, the armies of the Last Alliance passed through the Black Gate, entered Mordor and laid siege to the Barad-dûr for seven years – before Sauron finally emerged to be overthrown, in a deadly combat which cost the lives of both Gilgalad and Elendil.
    Battle of Dale (3019 Third Age) – More properly, the second Battle of Dale (the first being known as the Battle of Five Armies), in which Men of Dale and Dwarves of Erebor were initially defeated by Easterlings of Sauron’s rule. Kings Dáin Ironfoot of Erebor and Brand of Dale were both slain; but their forces withstood the siege that followed – and their sons, Thorin (III) Stonehelm and Bard II, later drove the attackers away from Dale, which was subsequently rebuilt.
    Battle of Five Armies (2941 Third Age) – Sometimes referred to as the first Battle of Dale. Its more popular name stems from the fact that no less than five separate armies participated, though not, of course, on five separate sides. The Five Armies were: Elves, led by Thranduil of Mirkwood; Men, led by Bard of Esgaroth; Dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield and Dáin Ironfoot; a Goblin-host, led by Bolg son of Azog; and a Wolf-horde which marched with the Orcs to plunder Erebor.
    Having disturbed the dragon Smaug from his long sleep in the gutted halls of Erebor, the thirteen Dwarves of Thorin’s party were able, in the Worm’s absence, to re-enter the Lonely Mountain and take possession of its vast wealth. In the meantime, Smaug, angry with the lake-dwellers of Esgaroth for aiding the Dwarves, flew south to raze and burn their town; but was slain by Bard the Bowman, descendant of kings. Gathering the surviving Lake-men together, Bard then promptly marched north to Erebor to demand compensation for damage to the lake-town (and a reward for slaying the Dragon). His Men were soon joined by an Elf-host of Mirkwood, with other grievances against the Dwarves. But Thorin – who now called himself Thorin II – had secretly sent to the Iron Hills for aid: and he refused to parley with these armies at his Gate, biding his time till Dáin Ironfoot’s forces arrived; as he knew they would, after hearing of his need (not to mention the unguarded wealth of Erebor). The Dwarves of the Iron Hills duly appeared and all seemed set for a tragic battle between the three armies when suddenly, from the North, appeared a vast Goblin-host in alliance with an army of Wolves. The Orcs had also heard of the death of the Dragon and had come to sack the Mountain. In the face of this new threat, Elves, Men and both Dwarf-forces joined together in a desperate alliance – and finally, with the aid of the Eagles and of Beorn the skin-changer, the Orcs and Wargs were defeated.
    King Thorin II Oakenshield was mortally wounded and later buried with the Arkenstone on his breast and the elf-sword Orcrist at his side; his kinsman, Dáin Ironfoot,