War of Dwarves and Orcs
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, the War of the Dwarves and Orcs was a great war fought between the two races.
The War began when the Dwarven King Thrór, heir of Durin, was slain before the gates of Moria by Azog the Orc in 2790 of the Third Age.
From 2790 to 2793 the Longbeards that were Durin's folk gathered their forces, calling on the six other houses of the Dwarves. In 2793 they en masse attacked the Orcs of the Misty Mountains, destroying all Orc-hideouts from Mount Gundabad in the north to the peak of Methedras in the south. This was the first deliberate attempt by any of the Free Peoples to eradicate the Orcs completely.
Most of the war was fought in the great mines and tunnels of the Misty Mountains, and as such the war went almost unnoticed by other races until in 2799 a climactic battle was fought at the eastern end of Moria, the Battle of Nanduhirion. The Dwarves won the battle and by extension the war when reinforcements from the Iron Hills arrived.
After this battle Thráin II son of Thrór wanted to enter Moria and reclaim it, but the Dwarves not of Durin's folk refused, saying they had honoured Durin's memory by fighting in the war, and Durin's folk on its own could not yet muster a force strong enough to enter Khazad-dûm. Probably the Dwarves also feared Durin's Bane was still present.
The war was very costly for the Dwarves, and many lives were lost. Naín son of Grór, Frerin second son of Thráin II, and Fundin son of Farin, the father of Balin were among the notable casualties. Thráin II himself lost an eye, and Thorin was wounded when his shield broke and he had to use an oak branch to defend himself. This led to his later name Thorin Oakenshield.
During the war many Orcs fled south into Rohan, trying to claim a refuge in the White Mountains, and troubled the Rohirrim for two generations.
Other effects of the war were that the Orcs of the Misty Mountains virtually disappeared as a threat for Eriador and Wilderland: the goblins of the High Pass at Rivendell were some of the few survivors.
150 years later the Orcs of the North still had not fully recovered, and their population was further reduced during the Battle of Five Armies in 2941, where Bolg son of Azog tried to avenge his father.
It is probable that without this War and the later battle the War of the Ring could have been lost in the north, and the Ringbearer might never have made it south to Mordor.
Referenced By
Durin
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