Summary
While there are dozens of beloved characters fromThe Lord Of The Ringstrilogy, Aragorn might just be the most popular. Standing out as one of the greatest examples of what it means to be a man, a leader, and just generally a dependable person, Aragorn is one of the most kingly characters in the series, which works out well considering he does eventually get crowned as king.
The trouble here is that fans ofThe Lord Of The Ringsonly get to see a few minutes of Aragorn as king. After the entire journey to destroy the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom, some fans have no idea how Aragorn ended up performing as king, despite there being information and evidence available to make a determination of how his reign was.
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What Happened When Aragorn Was Crowned King?
Luckily for Middle Earth, after Aragorn was crowned king, the lands were able to remain clear of any kind of evil comparable to Sauron.Thanks to his history with the Elves, Galadriel dubbed Aragon as King Elessar, a name he would come to be known by to all of those within the lands of Gondor. With his rise to the throne, Aragorn united the kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor to become the high king similar to Elendil long before him. While there was said to have been some level of resistance within Arnor to the idea of Aragorn ruling and uniting the kingdoms, one way or another, the people did eventually come around. The debate likely wasn’t hard considering Aragorn personally led Men’s last stand against Sauron’s forces in the War of the One Ring.
It seems that, while it may have taken some time, Middle Earth was relatively peaceful during Aragorn’s reign. Managing to reunite the realm of Men under one ruler seemed to strengthen their resolve in order to more easily battlewhat threats remained in the land following the fall of Sauron. Aragorn took an approach of rebuilding the realm of Men in order to strengthen whatever shortcomings could be found. That rebuilding also saw Aragorn leading Men in new alliances and cooperations with the other races within Middle Earth in order to ensure prosperity for all living people.
During this period,Éomer would also rise to become the king of Rohan, and it is said that both men worked together in order to ensure the safety and thriving of Men. While it isn’t specified, sometime during Aragorn’s reign, he would manage to completely defeat the people of Harad, ushering in even more peace, though it is likely that King Éomer played a role in that campaign. It should be said that the prosperity of Men was a bit to the detriment of the Elves, as Aragorn’s rise would also mark what is known as the diminishing of the Elves, though that is more of a bittersweet development than a tragedy.
Was Aragorn A Good King?
By pretty much every metric, Aragorn was certainly a good king. The actions of simply uniting his kingdoms, while controversial to some, is what set the stage for a new era of peace and happiness. The realm of Men was arguably the strongest it had ever been since the prime of Numenor, and potentially even more so thanks to the cooperation withElves and Dwarves. That cooperation was likely only further solidified to the people of Middle Earth when he married the Elf Arwen. The compassion he demonstrated for those he came across duringTheLord Of The Ringsfilms likely translated over into his rule, though his strength of will and determination likely did as well.
All of that is probably a major factor as to why Aragorn continued a campaign to keep his kingdoms safe fromthe threats of the Haradrimand the Easterlings. Aragorn’s pushes against the enemies of the realm proved so successful that he was capable of taking back territories that had previously been lost to opposing forces. It’s likely that any enemies seeking to continue where Sauron left off were to be considered the gravest enemies of the realm, leading to them being battled back and deterred from ever trying anything. It’s fitting that after so much hardship, someone willing to give everything to provide a chance for Frodo to succeed in his quest ended up having a long reign in a peaceful kingdom with many of his loved ones by his side.
How Did Aragorn’s Reign End?
After the defeat of Sauron, Aragorn would claim the crown and wouldserve as ruler until the year 120 of the Fourth Agein Middle Earth. This lengthy reign is what set the stage for much of the prosperity throughout the remainder of the known portion of the age. With his son Eldarion set to claim the throne after him, it was said that men would continue to flourish long after Aragorn and his son were gone. Instead of Aragorn being forced to meet some kind of brutal end at the hands of an invading force, he was able to go peacefully, with his family by his side.
As aware of his limits as ever, Aragorn was able to see his life coming to a close and began making preparations. During his final days, Aragorn was said to have gone to visit what would ultimately be his final resting place, the Tomb of Kings in Minas Tirith. He would also be sure togive the members of his family proper closure, speaking with his daughters before handing over his very own crown to his son Eldarion. Shortly after, Aragorn passed away peacefully with his beloved wife Arwen by his side, though she would die only a year later of a broken heart. Gone but not forgotten, Eldarion would carry on his father’s work to make the realm of Men one filled with prosperity and happiness.
