Counsellor of the North-kingdom

From Tolkien Gateway

The Counsellor of the North-kingdom was a member of the royal council of Arnor established after the War of the Ring.

History[edit | edit source]

After his accession, Aragorn established a council in Arnor, and in Fo.A. 13, he chose three Counsellors of the North-kingdom from the people of the Shire and Buckland.[1] These Counsellors were those appointed to the positions of the Thain and Mayor of the Shire, and the Master of Buckland.[1]

At the time of the appointment, these offices were held by Peregrin Took I, Samwise Gamgee, and Meriadoc Brandybuck, and they would remain in these posts for the nearly fifty years until Fo.A. 61, when Sam Gamgee was said to have passed over the Sea.[1] Two years later, Merry and Pippin resigned their offices to their sons and removed to the south.[1] It is unknown if they were succeded as Counsellors by their heirs.[note 1]

See Also[edit | edit source]

Notes[edit source]

  1. Faramir Took I succeeded Peregrin as Thain of the Shire. Meriadoc had at least one son to succeed him as Master of Buckland, but that son's name is not recorded. Sam Gamgee's successor as Mayor would have been elected by the Shire-hobbits. It is not known if they specifically inherited the Counsellor position though it seems likely that they did.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "Later Events Concerning the Members of the Fellowship of the Ring"