Why is Aragorn in exile?

[Orcrist]

I have read the LOTR before but can't remember an important point. I'm rereading right now and am in book five. I can't stand it anymore and need to know the answer to this question: WHY IS ARAGORN IN EXILE?
any help will be greatly appreciated. if the answer is a spoiler please don't tell me.

[aragil]

Aragorn wasn't in exile. Through his male ancestors he is the rightful king of Arthedain (part of the former kingdom of Arnor). His kingdom was effectively wiped out ~1300 years prior to LOTR by the witch king of Angmar (lord of the ringwraiths). The surviving nobility from Arthedain (including Aragorn) makes up the Rangers. So when Frodo meets Aragorn in Bree, he is actually in the heart of Aragorn's kingdom.
Aragorn's claim to Gondor comes from ~1300 years ago (right before the fall of Arthedain). One of the daughters of the King of Gondor married the heir to the throne of Arthedain. All of the sons of the King of Gondor were later killed, and Arthedain asserted that it could claim the throne of Gondor. This was refuted by Gondor, who instated the King's nephew (or cousin, I can't remember) in his place. Later on the newphew and all of his sons died as well, but by this time Arthedain had effectively been destroyed, so Aragorn's ancestors weren't able to press their claim.

[Orcrist]

Thanks for the info,
By the way, where does this information come from? appendix A?
I just want to make sure that i'm not missing something.

[pgt]

Actually I think the better claim is that he is of Isildur and Elendils line as his claim to the throne. I thought this was the same logic made in the Arthedain claim that was rejected at that time by Gondor.

My theory as to why the long wait before (again) claiming the throne was historical 'timing'. Elrond among others probably counselled this. Some dude from the wild can't very well just walk up to the most powerful city in ME and claim to be king especially with another dude (like Denethor) already calling the shots. I bet that claim would have been rejected real quick just like the one 1300 years before!

But when war and doom are looming...
Denethor loses it...
Boromir is dead...
You've got the shards of Narsil and a few other prophet gizmos...
Faramir is dying...
Mithrandir is supporting you...
You ride with 2 rarely seen elvish lords courtesy of Imladris...
The Periannath halflings appear from legend...
You ride with northern Dunedain 'captains'
You call on the host of the dead...
You've already convinced Gondors most powerfull ally you're the king...
You arrive with a fleet...
You save Faramir with "Kings foil" proving the healing hand legend...
...and basically talk the talk and walk the walk... not to mention leading the final military blow that saves everyone temporarily and there is no one else left to lead (Oh and you find another tree though that happened a tad late)...

... well it took 1300 years to get the timing right after the 1st failed claim. Darn lucky too because during the time of the 1st claim they still had a kingdom, power, were established members of the nobility etc. 1300 years later they were largely reduced to wanders shouldering a hefty burden of proof.

Bree 'was' in the kingdom Aragorn would have inherited. There was no kingdom for Aragorn at the time of Bree. In a way he was in exile. Even after he becomes crowned, the North continues to be a dramatically reduced and symbolic kingdom up through the end of the writings I recall.

[Snaga]

Good post pgt - nothing to add to that.

The other question is why there was no attempt to re-establish the North Kingdom?

My guess is that the Dunedain were no longer strong enough and the Witch King would have come back again and the reason was to spare Eriador from war???

[Kris Rhodes]

I don't know that it was merely a symbolic kingdom in the end. Aragorn seems to have made some pretty strong and binding decrees about, for example, the shire and contact with it from outside. And Aragorn himself travelled in the north as King - which is hard for me to imagine unless the north were safely and certainly *his* kingdom.

-Kris

[aragil]

I still don't think that Aragorn was claiming the throne of Gondor through the line of Isildur. When Arvedui of Arthedain pressed his claim to the throne he was married to a woman of the line of Anarion, not descended from it. Gondor responded that following the Last Alliance, Isildur had forsaken the kingship of Gondor in order to govern the North, which at that time was perceived as being the higher calling. Therefore the line of Isildur could not claim the throne of Gondor, but the line of Anarion (which Aragorn was also descended from) could. That being said, I think that the reasons that none of the other descendants of Arvedui pressed their claim are exactly those posted by pgt.
Variag, were you referring to why no effort was made before the Lord of the Rings, or after? If before, then I agree with you- between the Great Plague and the constant warfare with Rhudaur (where's Aerin?) & Angmar, the Numenorean population of Arthedain (and Cardolan) was decimated beyond raising again. The natives of Eriador (Rivermen, Breelanders) were still around, along with the relatively few rangers, so I guess they were what comprised the fourth age Kingdom of Arnor (which was resurrected as per Kris' post).

[Telcontar]

Also, if you remember from the RoTK, are large reason why Arvedui's claim was denied was due to the blood spilled during the Kin-Strife and the desire of the Steward of Gondor at the time (don't remember the name) wishing to prevent any such infighting from recurring. The Crown was given to the the King's cousin, descended from the brother (I think) of a previous King, instead of the King's daughter (Arvedui's wife).

[aragil]

Doh! This same thread has been argued here before, and last time I brought up the Kin-strife. My mind is beginning to slip at a rather precipitous rate. Oh well, good call Telcontar.

ps 1st Ruling Steward- Mardil, beginning his reign in 2050, 75 years after the fall of Arthedain and 642 years after the beginning of the Kin-strife. (War of the ring was fought in TA 3018-3019)
Pelendur- steward of Ondoher (of Gondor) who played a large role in denying Arvedui the crown.
Firiel- daughter of Ondoher and wife of Arvedui.
Earnil II- King of Gondor subsequent to Ondoher. He was the Great-grandson of Arciryas, who was brother to King Narmacil II of Gondor (everybody got that?).
Earnur- Son of Earnil II, last king of Gondor before Aragorn. Perished in 2050.

[pgt]

To further my position that Aragorn's cliam was not based on Arvedui be the direct Isiludur/Elendil claim how many time sin the book are we treated to quotes like "Isildur's heir" or 'of the line of Elendil'? Answer: many many times... Not once in the text of the 3 books are we treated to the name "ARvedui" to the best of my memory. That name is only found by digging through obscure appendices AFAIK. That claim was no part of Aragorn's claim. In fact it's best convienently forgotten as it doesn't help his case. It was officially rejected which set an uncomfortable legal precedent for Aragorn to overcome. It was overcome by conveniently forgetting it and going straight to the original Isildur/Elendil claim (along w/ all the timing I mentioned earlier).

It DUPLICATES the merits of the Arvedui claim. It is NOT BASED UPON the Arvedui claim.

The Arvedui claim is a FAILED claim. How and why would you base a claim on a non-claim or rejected claim.

That's like telling the judge you were speeding because the guy in front of me was speeding even though the guy in front of you got busted for it. Better to say what the guy in front of you was saying - that his speedo was broke. Only your car is about a 1000 years older than the guy in front and maybe this time the judge will buy it!

---

I agree, the Arnorians or Arnorites or whatever were essentially treated to genocide from what the books say. But my problem with that is why was Bree (in the heart of the kingdom) spared as well as the Shire that we KNOW was spared). The Shire was explicitly involved in the defense of Arnor by sending a company of archers that never returned. I suppose the actual physical conflict proper never quite reached the Shire per se. And Bree's history is sufficiently vague that anything can be invented. But all in all that's pretty dang precise and specific genocide much too close to other potential targets like Bree and Shire.

[aragil]

He claimed it through descent from Anarion via Firiel. Arvedui tried the ol' descent from Elendil/Isildur, and Gondor specifically rejected that claim because Isildur himself had given up lordship over the southern kingdom. From that point on, only a descendant of Anarion could rule Gondor. Aragorn was descended from Anarion, therefore he had a claim. Arvedui was not, therefore he didn't.

The Shire, Bree, and the rest of Eriador was spared because Earnur (son of the king of Gondor at the time of the fall of Arthedain) arrived with a huge expeditionary fleet from Gondor. He wiped out the realm of Angmar, thus making the North safe for a while. Unfortunately there just weren't enough Dunedain left in the North to take advantage of that fact.

[pgt]

Firiel? Huh?

"'At Pelargir the HEIR OF ISILDUR will have need of you" - Aragorn addressing Angbor.

"'Hear now the words of the HEIR OF ISULDUR'" - Aragorn addressing host of the dead

There are others I'm sure...

But the definitive quote I believe is:

"Here is Aragorn, ... ... ... ... Elessar [Aragorn] of the line of Valandil, ISILDUR's SON, Elendil's son of Numenor. Shall he be king and enter into the City and dwell there?'" - Steward Faramir officially addressing the powers that be.

You of course know the answer to Faramir's retorical question. Faramir is the decider in this matter and Faramir doesn't justify his decision thorugh Anarion or Firiel. Read the full account for yourself in RotK.

It all had to do with timing (as I posted above) as the most important part of the claim and the oficial Isildur lineage claim had almost become a minor detail at the point in most Gondorian's mines IMHO.

[pgt]

Oh, EXCELLENT Eriador/SHire/Bree explanation - I completely forgot about the interceding that occured - makes perfect sense! Thanks!

[Halasían]

I have read the LOTR before but can't remember an important point. I'm rereading right now and am in book five. I can't stand it anymore and need to know the answer to this question: WHY IS ARAGORN IN EXILE? I guess this is the type of questions that come up when people read the books after the movie? I was asked this a few times now...