Armies of Lord of the Rings

[Sionnach Glic]

You're thinking Rhovanion.

I don't think so. Rhovanion was further east, and Tolkien made a number of references to the "Kingdom of Rhovanion".

The Rohirrim was the title of the Army of Rohan, if you fought for the Kingdom then you were "Of the Rohirrim".

In Concerning Hobbits, Tolkien mentions the "language of the Rohirrim". From that I think we can infer that "Rohirrim" simply refers to the people of Rohan.

[Deepcrush]

I don't think so. Rhovanion was further east and south of Dale, and Tolkien made a number of references to the "Kingdom of Rhovanion".

The Kingdom of Rhovanion was east of Dale and collapsed shortly after the Kin Strife. Many of their people fled (mostly soldiers and their families) and it was those people who later came to the aid of Gondor for which they were given the lands of Rohan.

In Concerning Hobbits, Tolkien mentions the "language of the Rohirrim". From that I think we can infer that "Rohirrim" simply refers to the people of Rohan.

Rohan had several languages in use, though I'm unsure of the number. Arnorin, Sindarin, Rohirric, Western, and maybe a bunch of others that I don't recall... and yes I know the spelling is most likely wrong, shut up and take it!

If there is a language of the Rohirrim then it may be a form of battle language relating to their origins.

This is my take on it, not stating such as Facts of Lore.

[SolkaTruesilver]

Rohan had one advantage though, they could feed their population and live stock so well that even the peasants owned horses. Look at Gondor where to own a horse you had to be either Rich or a Knight of Gondor. Arnor (and the kingdoms that followed in its place) was mostly woodlands, so not many horses in use there either.

Over time, Rohan became the mobile warfare experts of Middle Earth not just because they could but because they really didn't have a choice. Its not often you find kingdoms in which their armies are split evenly between infantry and cavalry. The effect of having several thousand mounted warriors charging an line of infantry throwing spears, axes and arrows while doing so can make a hell of a first impression.

Also, keep in mind Helm's Deep. Rohan probably faced massive invasions from ennemies before, one which a light and mobile cavalry force, as massive as it was, couldn't hope to face openly. So they set up one of the mightiest defensive fortress in the world, and any ennemy wishing to put Rohan under it's thumb would have to siege and beat it.

However, whatever army that would have to siege Helm's Deep would be vulnerable to raid attacks, having their supply lines cut off, and the thousand other problems that occurs when your army is immobilized by a siege when your ennemy is quicker, lighter than you.

[Deepcrush]

Very true, the Hornburg itself was a powerful position. It did however have the same weakness as any fortress which is those inside cannot protect their lands outside. Raiding armies from Dunland and Ost-il or even the Orcs out of the Misty Mountains didn't really care about conquest so much as plunder. This held double true for Dunland which was piss poor and could barely feed their people. The vast wheat fields of Rohan must have been worth more then gold in their eyes.

If Rohan was to become a more defensible land they would need a series of small forts along their border, mostly northern border that is. Rohan lacks the numbers of troops to be really aggressive against their enemies in the form of conquest. Such border forts would allow for Rohan to raid its enemies on a regular basis with a good position to fall back to. It would also slow up any attacking army as they would have to siege at least one of Rohan's forts to cross the border.

Sad to say, that until the reign of Eomer, Rohan spent most of the Third Age rather poor and most likely couldn't afford such defenses even if they wanted them.

[SolkaTruesilver]

What about the tribes swearing fealty to Saruman we see in the extended edition of The Two Towers? Who were these people?

I would guess that Rohan has a history of sending part of their supplies over to Helm's Deep as a storage facility during winter. That way, they always have ennough food to last a long, long siege, and they will have ennough to rebuild after invaders have been fought off.

And if you simply have "raiders" attacking your land, having a massive and quick cavalry force would be more efficient to the forts you are talking about. Forts might be better against formal military incursions to slow down the ennemy. But ultimately, it wouldn't prove much if faced against a real, massive invasive army like Saruman's.

How many Uruk-Hai were there in the party that captured Merry and Pippin? It seems Eomer's Rohirrims did quite a good job wiping them out. Rohan cavalry must be masters of ambush and night-raids themselves. It wouldn't surprise me if Rohan's horsemen actually went raiding the sorrounding countryside against smaller nations to feed themselves.

In short, if you invade Rohan, better keep a good force to protect your homeland, or you'll have packs of raiders trying to wreak your country while you try to conquer theirs.

[Deepcrush]

What about the tribes swearing fealty to Saruman we see in the extended edition of The Two Towers? Who were these people?

Those are the people of Dunland.

I would guess that Rohan has a history of sending part of their supplies over to Helm's Deep as a storage facility during winter. That way, they always have ennough food to last a long, long siege, and they will have ennough to rebuild after invaders have been fought off.

As a supply depot, the Hornburg makes pretty good sense.

And if you simply have "raiders" attacking your land, having a massive and quick cavalry force would be more efficient to the forts you are talking about. Forts might be better against formal military incursions to slow down the ennemy. But ultimately, it wouldn't prove much if faced against a real, massive invasive army like Saruman's.

I think you're misunderstanding the combined use of the forts and Rohirrium. The forts would act as watchout points and staging areas for Rohans cavalry. This would allow Rohan to attack its enemies rather then wait for its enemies to attack them. The problem that Rohan suffered was that its lands were being destroyed and its people killed or displaced by Saruman's force prior to the main invasion. Rohan was thus left weakened and less able to defend its land. If this problem could have been avoided, Saruman's armies would have lacked the aid of the people of Dunland and would have left Rohan's people, resources and armies mostly intact. Saruman's ten thousand orc army would have faced an army of Rohan nearly as strong at the time of the Battle of the Hornburg.

How many Uruk-Hai were there in the party that captured Merry and Pippin? It seems Eomer's Rohirrims did quite a good job wiping them out. Rohan cavalry must be masters of ambush and night-raids themselves.

Unknown, in the books they were a "great party of orcs" IIRC and in the films they were clearly less then battalion strength. Though as you said and as is well known to most, Rohan's riders were masters of their craft. Cavalry charging into an enemy camp at night would no doubt break the enemy to tatters.

It wouldn't surprise me if Rohan's horsemen actually went raiding the sorrounding countryside against smaller nations to feed themselves.

I'd be honestly surprised if the would. Rohan's natural resource was food, it wasn't just their own but also their only major export and the money from that export supplied their whole country.

In short, if you invade Rohan, better keep a good force to protect your homeland, or you'll have packs of raiders trying to wreak your country while you try to conquer theirs.

Depends really, Rohan isn't fit for fighting in the mountains or in forested areas. They are a mobile army and as such need to fight in areas that support their style of warfare. The problem for Rohan is that they didn't raid others and failed to keep their enemies in check.