ORGANISATION:
Lindon was
organised into separate areas which formed a union and chose a common highking
to rule over them. Each area took care of their local matters, but common
matters were decided by the federal institutions in Mithlond, which was the
capital of the realm. The semi-independent lordships of Lindon were; (it is
important to realise that through it`s existence the population of Lindon was
growing. The numbers given are from the time when The Last Alliance was formed,
and the numbers were largest)
Harlindon:
This was the area
in the south side of Lhun bay and west from Ered Luin. It was inhabited by
greyelves, the survivors of Doriath. They had their own king, Galadhil grandson
of Elmo, whose residence was on the bay of Lhun shore a bit west from Harlond.
Underlord of sindar was lord Annael of Mithrim. Other important grey-elven lord
was lord Lovandil. Their only important town was founded around the residence
of king Galadhil. It was simply called Ost-in-Sindar. The town had about 1000
inhabitants. Harlindon was a prosperous part of the realm with mostly
agricultural products. The princedom had a male population of approximately
7500 persons, which would place the whole population somewhere around 17
000.
Forlindon:
This was the area
north from Lhun bay and west from Ered Luin. The laiquendi elves had escaped
the rising sea to Thargelion, and in the second age made their permanent
residence there. Lord of Forlindon was Älwe the silent, chieftain of the
laiquendi. The population lived by small agriculture, and hunting and
gathering. Forlindon was heaviy wooded area. There were no towns in the
princedom. Male population was around 6000, with overall population then about
13 000.
Helevorn:
The area around
lake Helevorn was originally part of Forlindon. However prince Dahas of the
house of Feänor took residence in there in 400 II age, and after lord
Glorfindel returned from overseas in 900 II Age he managed to secure the
Helevorn area to the possession of prince Dahas, as his personal fiefdom.
Helevorn had only a very small area, the mountain valley around lake Helevorn.
The population was only a few hundreds, mostly noldor still loyal to the house
of Feänor.
Sealand, or
Aerdor:
The name was seldom
used. In the late II age it was only regularly used by some royal officials.
Usually this area was referred to as ”the land of falathrim” or ”Cirdan`s
land”. Aerdor situated from river Lhun to Forlindon between the Lhun bay and
Ered Luin. It was a narrow strip of land between the mountains and sea, with
small fjords and bays breaking the landscape and making it possible to enter
almost any area of the country by boats. This made the place ideal for many
falathrim who moved there in the beginning of the II age. Cirdan was the lord
of this princedom, but he had his permanent residence in Mithlond and seldom
came to this area. Cirdan`s eldest son Falasdil had his residence in Aerdor.
The main economy was fishing. The population was not great, since most of the
falathrim preferred to live in bigger harbour-towns. Male population was around
2000, with overall population of 4500.
East
Lindon:
The name
didn`t stuck and was only used in the
royal charters. This was the area east from Lhun bay and west from Emyn Beraid,
north from Ered Luin. The area didn`t extend far north to the Lhun valley. This
was only an administrative unit with no lord to rule the whole area. The area
was taken to be the real Lindon, the area under direct lordship of Ereinion
Gil-Galad. Therefore sometimes when people used name Lindon, it didn`t mean the
whole kingdom but only this special area. The central governing of East Lindon
was soon lost because Gil-Galad gave big parts of it as a personal fiefdoms to several powerfull lords of noldor. The
areas outside their fiefdoms were later considered to be under royal
administration and not anymore under personal lordship of Gil-Galad. East
Lindon was mostly inhabited by noldor. In the south along Ered Luin noldor had
few mines from where the kingdom got part of the metal it needed. There was
also a thin population of falathrim along the shores of Lhun bay. The major
lords who had their residence and fiefdoms in the area were: prince Galendil,
whose lands were on the southern shore of Lhun bay, between the bay and Ered
Luin, lord Melandur whose lands were immediately north from Mithlond, lord
Volondil who had his lands around village of Dinlade between Lhun bay and Emyn
Beraid and lord Salmarindil Noldorin who had lands south from Mithlond. Also
several less important lords had small areas of land in this province. For
instance lord Gellan was lord of Greenhaven, a small town south from Mithlond,
and Gunwe the lonely had his lands in Greywood just outside Mithlond. Male
population in East Lindon was around 3000, with overall population of 7000.
Harlond:
Harlond was an
independent township. It was situated on the southern shore of Lhun bay and was
the most important harbour in the southern shore, despite the competition from
Ost-in-Sindar. In 400 II age prince Erendur of the house of Fingolfin was
nominated as the lord of Harlond. The male population of Harlond was about 1200
with overall population of 2500. The inhabitants were noldor, falathrim and
sindar, with almost equal proportions of each. Main economy was fishing, with
some small industry and a small dock.
Forlond:
Forlond was an
independent township. It was situated on the northern shore of Lhun bay and was
the most important harbour in the area. It had a slight advantage on Harlond
since there was no other harbours on the northern shore of Lhun bay. In the 400
II age lord Guilin was nominated as the lord of Forlond. The male population
was about 1400 with overall population of 2900. The inhabitants were noldor,
falathrim and some laiquendi. Main economy was fishing, but also some small
industry and dockyards were situated in the town.
Mithlond:
Mithlond was the
capital of the realm. It was famous for it`s great public buildings, including
the great tower and the royal castle. Gildor Inglorion was nominated as the
lord of Mithlond, but in reality he had to share most of the control of city`s
affairs with royal officials. Also, Cirdan had direct lorship over all his
people in the city. This gave the lord of Mithlond very little if any real
authority, but great prestige. Mithlond was the great harbour of the kingdom,
and also the industrial and commercial center. It`s inhabitants came from all
the elven races, but most were noldor and falathrim. The population of Mithlond
was 12 000, 5500 of them males old enough to carry arms.
HEAD OF STATE:
Highking Ereinion Gil-Galad.
As the noblest person of the royal house of Noldor Ereinion was chosen to
become the king of the realm. He was the unifying factor to most of the people
in Lindon. Practically all the lords were either his followers, allies or
friends. No other persons were put forward for the kingship.
DECISION MAKING:
HIGHKING
In the matters that concerned the whole realm, for instance defense,
foreign policy, taxation, royal matters like transportation, public safety and
economy, king of Lindon had full powers to make decisions alone. How ever he
was supposed to ask advice from ”the lords of the realm” when ever that was
possible. To make the decision making easier a permanent council of the lords
was founded in 300 II age.
COUNCIL OF LINDON
The council at first met irregularly when king called for it. Only the
members were named in advance, and the membership was permanent. When the
bureaucracy and amount of work increased it became necessary to get matters
work more smoothly. In 800 II age the council was made a permanent one. The
council would meet every second month or when called for an emergency meeting.
It`s functions and power increased all the time, until it became the main
decision making authority in the realm. Highking remained the most important
figure, but he chose to submit all the important matters to the council and
followed faithfully it`s decisions. In time the fact that law didn`t require this
was practically forgotten and it became the law in people`s minds. Highking
became the chairman of the council and naturally it`s most influential member.
The council was only a decision making body without any executive powers.
MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL:
PROVINCES OF LINDON
The four main provinces and three independent towns were free to handle
their own local matters like they wanted. Harlindon had a council of it`s own,
following the example of Lindon. In Forlindon the ancient tribal gatherings
were still effective. In Aerdor lord Falasdil had no council. East Lindon was
the area without effective local governent. Mighty noldo lords ruled their own
lands and there was no central authority. Areas outside their lordship were
under direct administration of the royal office. In Harlond lord Erendur had a
council, but it was only advisory board. The same goes for lord Guilin in
Forlond. The matters that were handled locally were various, and included all
the matters that effected only the province or town in question, for instance
local economy, law enforcement and jurisdiction. Also matters that concerned
only one elven race were to be handled locally. For instance all the decisions
effecting only sindar were to be made in Harlindon, and all those concerning
Laiquendi in Forlindon.
GOVERNMENT:
HIGHKING
King of Lindon resided in Mithlond, in the royal castle. Around him was gathered
a small royal staff, including the important personages of adjutant and
secretary. This staff belonged to his household and followed him everywhere.
Royal staff handled only matters concerning the king, including his meetings,
travels, finances etc. King was, in front of the law, the most important
executive official. The council made decisions which king then put into effect.
He had almost full freedom in deciding how to execute the decisions. All the
decisions needed a confirmation from the king. The decisions made were
confirmed with royal charters which originally could be given only by the king.
However when more and more laws were passed it became a habbit that underlord
would confirm and sign most of the laws and decisions.
ADJUTANT
From the beginning royal adjutant was sir Arminas, who was also the
champion of the king. His most important duties were to guarantee the safety of
the king, to keep his personal matters in order and to keep him informed of
everything that was going on. Adjutant was an important figure who however had
no executive powers outside king`s own household.
LORD OF LINDON
This was in name only, since no area of land came with the lordship. Lord
of Lindon was pretty much a vice-king. It was a high honor but didn`t at first
have many real powers. Lord Failanwe Glorfindel became lord of Lindon in 730 II
Age. The lord resided in royal castle and had his own household there. In time
it became the duty of the lord to keep the different elven races in harmony.
All the disputes between them were handed directly to his office. The lord was
a representative of the crown in faraway places, travelling a lot and keeping
eye on things. He would be the chairman of the council if both king and
underlord were gone, and the lord had the right to call an emergency meeting of
the council. The lord also had the
right to replace the king in official meetings, including receiving heralds and
envoys from foreign nations. Lord of Lindon had no staff of his own, but
Glorfindel used his household as the staff. Lord of Lindon could pick his own
battles, so to speak. He didn`t have much duties in everyday administration,
but could meddle into almost every affair if he so chose.
STEWARD OF LINDON
Along the line of high ranking government officials steward is next. From
the founding of the office it was held by lord Melandur. He was a capable
administrator and kept the wheels of government turning. Practical
administration was the job of the steward. He handled finances, kept records of
the realm, handled most of the official correspondence with important persons
and was the foremost advisor of the king. Steward made the budget of the crown.
When the council had made a decision and the king had confirmed it, he then
would plan with steward how to best make it happen. Steward was kings foremost
helper and advisor in executive matters. Lord Melandur had a large ”steward`s
staff” to help him. His office was in the royal castle. Steward also had
important judicial responsibilities. He kept the law records and knew
everything about them. Therefore it became stewards job to be the judge in most
of the important court cases, repsesenting judicially the king.
UNDERLORD
First and only underlord of Lindon was Narces of Nan Lasgalen. Underlord
was the official who was least seen but who did most. Especially in executive
matters his role was crucial. After the decisions of the council had been
confirmed by the king, and he had planned with the steward how it would be
implemented, they would turn the case to underlord, who then would actually do
the job. For instance king could tell him that a road must be built from
Mithlond to Ost-in-Edhil, and it should be made of small stones and bridges
should be made of stone. Then Narces would hire the labor force, organise the
whole thing, start it and pay it, and oversee the work. He was the person who
did things which others had planned. In every year he handled, supervised and
ordered a huge amount of things. Underlord had the right to draw money from
royal treasury, to call the emergency meeting of the council and be it`s
chairman, to order arrests, investigations etc. He was in fact the
representative of the king, his underlord. Command from him was a command from
the king. From 2100s onwards underlord could give royal charters that were not
sanctioned by the council, if the king was out of the country, sick or
otherwise unable to function. He also had the right to open the personal
letters of the king, if steward or the lord agreed that it had to be done, and
of course in practise and eventually also lawfully was allowed to confirm the
laws given by the council. Narces worked in the Royal Office at the castle, and
he had a large staff working for him. His adjutant in the office was Gunwe of
Greywood. Everything the underlord did he had to do in the name of the king. He
had no power himself, but represented the king. Often the duties of steward and
underlord were mixed. The line can be drawn by saying that steward handled more
theoretical matters, underlord the practical matters. Underlord also supervised
the lands of the crown in East Lindon and in practice was the highest official
in the city of Mithlond.
KNIGHTHOOD OF THE HOLY CIRCLE
The knighthood was formed in 540 II Age. The knights were directly loyal
and responsible to king Ereinion. At first they were only responsible of kings
safety, but gradually they responsibilities evolved since it was inpractical to
keep men of such capacity only guarding the king. In theory the knights were
part of the kings household and not part of the government. They were however
often given government tasks and eventually the fact that they were not part of
the administration was almost forgotten. The major officials could not order
them, only the king. Usually when a special envoy, messenger, emergency leader
or just someone to fix things was needed, one of the knights was send. These
were the ablest knights in the realm. It was considered an immense honor to be
nominated to the knighthood, which was also called ”the seven”, since it could
only have seven members at the same time.
The knights:
DEFENSE:
DECISION MAKING
Declaration of war demanded the majority of the council and confirmation of
the king. Confirmation of underlord was not accepted. In face of any threat the
council had to be called to an emergency session. How ever if there was no time
for this, the king could make the decision that the situation required, after
consulting with those council members who were present. Similarly under
immediate threat lord of Lindon could replace the king in decision making, or
in his absence, underlord could make the decision. This means a case where a
muster of troops needed to be done. Each of the four major government officials
can give orders to regular troops who are in royal service, and also sent
request of military assistance to lords of the realm. The troops in regular
royal service write their reports to underlord Narces and are under his direct
command.
REGULAR TROOPS IN ROYAL SERVICE
The crown has only a very limited amount of troops in it`s service. These
include two companies of irregular border guards, about 200 in all. They are
keeping eye on the borders in the times of peace. The border guards report
directly to underlord Narces and take orders from him.
1st Battalion Lindon Foot Guards
The only major fighting force in the peacetime is situated in Mithlond. 1st
Battalion Lindon Foot Guards is a crack unit which recruits it`s soldiers from
the best men of the provincial troops. The vacancies in the guard are popular
and both the quality of the soldiers and the expert training makes them
propably the deadliest regular army unit in the world during the II Age. The
guards answer for the protection of the royal castle and the walls and gates of
Mithlond. They are also used as a police force in time of disturbances. 1st Battalion
Lindon Foot Guards is organised into four infantry companies and one archer
company, each having 120 soldiers. The official strenght is 620, including a
small headquarters staff of 20 men. The commander of the guards organises and
is responsible for the security in Mithlond and the royal castle. He is one of
the six officials who can go and see the king at anytime, the others being the
three major officials, adjutant and household company`s commander. Lord Gellan
of Greenhaven started his military career as the commander of the Foot Guards.
Other illustrious commanders include lord Emrys, later famous sinda lord, and
prince Ingoldo of the house of Fingon. During the Last Alliance Foot Guards
were again commanded by able lord Gellan. They were the headquarters reserve in
battle of Dagorlad and were protecting the headquarters against the enemy
attack, with a great success.
1st Lindon Horse Guards
This was only a company sized unit with 120 elite cavalry men. They were
recruited with the same methods as the Foot Guards and with similar results.
This company was the major policing unit in the realm. With it`s quick reaction
time it was moved fast from place to place if needed, but it`s stations were at
Mithlond. Horse Guards didn`t have as much guard duty as the Foot Guards, but
they constantly had to sent detachments to escort high officials. Horse Guards
were reported to underlord and were subject to his orders, and also to the
orders from commander of the Foot Guards. The unit was also known as ”The Royal
Lancers”. They were traditionally commanded by the 7th knight of the Holy
Circle. During the Last Alliance this was sir Caimentur, a young dashing knight
whose father was an ex-knight of Fingolfin. In battle of Dagorlad Horse Guards
attacked on foot with the households of Gil-Galad and Elendil. Sir Caimentur
and half of his company were killed in the battle, Caimentur protecting
Gil-Galad with his life in a fierce close combat.
REGULAR TROOPS NOT IN ROYAL SERVICE (HOUSEHOLD COMPANIES)
Many noble lords of the elves had their own household companies. These were
not in the royal service, but loyal directly to their own lords. However there
was a charter that gave the government right to ask military help from the
lords of the realm personally, if there was a pressing need. Each of the major
officials, the king, the lord, steward and underlord had the right to make this
request. However the lord or steward could not legally do it if king or
underlord were in town. This placed a few more companies to the service of the
government in case of an emergency or importance. Keeping this in mind the
escorts of important persons were often reinforced with household troops. Also
to some crucial scouting could be done by some lord`s household company.
This was the company loyal to king Ereinion only, and not part of the
government organisation. It was responsible for his personal safety. The
members of this company were crack knights and retainers from all the elven
races. Most of them however were noldor and sindar. Household company was
traditionally commanded by 6th knight of the Holy Circle. During war of the
Last Alliance the commander was sir Faiglion, a bold noldo knight who followed
Gil-Galad to the counter strike in the battle of Dagorlad, and lost almost half
of his company. The company followed Gil-Galad through the whole campaign and
lost several men when Sauron attacked Gil-Galad and Elendil in Orodruin.
Company was stationed at the royal castle in Mithlond.
This company was loyal to lord Glorfindel and was stationed at the royal
castle in Mithlond. The members were recruited from people with links and
loyalty to houses of Fountain and Golden Flower. It was a crack company with
excellent training and morale. During the Last Alliance company went to the war
in the royal headquarters, together with Ereinion`s own Household Company. They
joined Ereinion in the crucial counterstrike during the battle of Dagorlad.
Company was led by sir Armindil and was badly decimated.
This was an elite unit placed in Mithlond and worked closely with the crown
officials. It was loyal to lord Gildor Inglorion and recruited from those
noldor who had links to Nargothrond. During the war of The Last Alliance the
company followed Gildor.
This was a company stationed at Ost-in-Sindar and loyal to king Galadhil.
It was an elite unit recruited from the best knights of Harlindon and fought in
numerous battles during the Last Alliance.
PROVISIONAL ARMY
When the few regular troops and four household companies were not enough,
the provisional army or some parts of it could be called to service. The whole
muster needed the consent of the council, but smaller parts of the army could
be called into service also by some of the major officials. The provisional
army was divided into divisions, each recruited from each elven race. Divisions
of Harlond and Forlond were under control of the local administration, but
divisions of Falathrim and Lindon were formed respectfully from all the
falathrim and noldor no matter where they lived. Lord Cirdan was responsible
for the division of his people and royal authority had organised division of
Lindon and was ready to call it to service. These four division were divided
into brigades and contained about 80% of the full aged male population. In a
smaller threat it was possible to ask only for some specific brigade to be
mustered into service. This was usually done. The whole provisional army was
mustered only during the war against Sauron and during the Last Alliance. When
the whole army was mustered, legally a commander had to be appointed for it. In
both cases lord Guilin of Forlond was appointed. The quality and armament of
the brigades varied a lot. Some were heavily armored well trained elite units,
but others were light infantry with only little training. Generally units of
noldor were better trained than others. All the units of the provisional army
were infantry.