Chapter Five
Under the protection of King Argeleb the Second and his successors, the Hobbits of the Shire flourished in their new land. The first of these settlers, led by Marcho and Blanco, were to be found in the Marish area of the Eastfarthing. Within a number of years, many hobbits had established their own clans across the four farthings. These were the ancestors of the greater families of today, such as the Tooks. These chieftains, the patriarchs of the early clans, continued to swear oaths of fealty to Norbury, the capital.
Given the freedom to manage their own affairs, the Shire at this time resembled the country we know today. But despite this autonomy, the King of Arthedain was still considered the ultimate authority by all hobbits. They did not forget how Argeleb the Second had granted them protection from Angmar, who had ravaged their old home. Toasts were raised in the king’s name at the inns of the Shire. In all, hobbits slept soundly at night knowing that the King at Norbury would always keep them safe. They were wrong.
Angmar had conquered Cardolan and Rhudaur, but continued its campaign to rule over all of Arnor. Arthedain would not fall as easy as its neighbouring realms. From Cardolan, the borders of Arthedain were frequently raided and harassed. This only disrupted and inconvenienced the kingdom, but Angmar did not have the strength to launch an earnest invasion against its old enemy.
For over three hundred years, the Hobbits of the Shire lived in peace within Arthedain. In time they forgot the hardships they had suffered in Cardolan, under the iron fist of the Witch-king. To many it seemed as though hobbits had alwyas lived in the Shire. But soon enough they would come to remember the shadow of Angmar. In the Year 374, Angmar had finally gathered enough strength to invade the heartland of Arthedain. The defences at the borders were crushed, and the Witch-king’s armies soon reached the capital. Arvedui, the King, summoned his subjects to rise in his defence. But his efforts were in vain. The Fall of Norbury, in which the great capital was sacked and left to ruin, heralded the defeat of Arthedain. Arvedui was able to flee the city, escaping far to the north. A year later, he would drown in the ice-bays of Forochel. In history he is better known as the Last King.
The Witch-king claimed Norbury as his own. At last he had conquered all of Arnor, after hundreds of years of unrelenting conquest. His efforts now turned to subjugating the people of the defeated kingdom, who had resisted him for too long. Hundreds were soon slaughtered and enslaved, as punishment for their defiance. The Hobbits of the Shire took refuge underground, burrowing deep below the earth to avoid the grip of Angmar’s malice. Others fled westwards, into the mountains, where they were sheltered by the Dwarves. It would seem that the Witch-king remained ignorant of the existence of hobbits, for he could find no such people in his new realm.
The subjugation of Angmar was not to last. The old allies of Arnor and Arthedain rallied against the Witch-king. Elves and the Big Folk of Gondor, the South Kingdom, sought to liberate the lands and expel this servant of evil. This great alliance, led by Prince Eärnur of Gondor and the Elf-lords Glorfindel and Círdan, met the Witch-king on the battlefield. Answering the call to liberate Arthedain, the Shire had sent a number of archers to join Eärnur’s host. The Battle of Norbury in 375, a year after its fall, was a crushing defeat for Angmar. Its armies were completely destroyed, and the Witch-king is thought to have perished or fled – never to trouble Eriador again. Although victorious, Eärnur’s alliance also took heavy losses. The Shire-archers did not return, having fallen in battle whilst liberating their homeland.
Aranarth, son of Arvedui the Last King, chose not to claim his father’s throne and re-establish the Kingdom of Arnor. He instead became a chieftain, leading his people instead as wanderers of the Wild. In time the line of kings was forgotten. The Hobbits of the Shire re-emerged in the wake of Angmar’s fall, to a changed and ruined countryside. Without a king, the Shire would have to stand alone in the great wide world.
