The likely location of Aldburg3
The likely location of Aldburg3
One of the oldest settlements in Rohan, Aldburg stood on a green hill in the region known as the Folde, some miles to the southeast of Edoras. During Eorl's time it was the chief township of Rohan, but after the second King Brego built the Golden Hall of Meduseld, he removed the King's seat from Aldburg to Edoras.
Even after this time, Aldburg remained important. With the royal courts now at Edoras, it fell to Brego's youngest son Eofor to become Aldburg's lord. It was claimed that Eofor's line continued unbroken down into the Fourth Age, and that he was a direct ancestor of Éomund of Aldburg, and hence of Éomund's son Éomer and the Kings of the third line.
Though Aldburg properly lay among the King's Lands, it was the most important town eastward of Edoras, and was thus the central point for the Muster of the East-mark. It appears that the chief of the township would normally have held the rank of Marshal, and would have held command of the Riders of eastern Rohan. It is not established whether the seat of the Marshal at Aldburg was a continuous tradition throughout Rohan's history, but certainly both Éomund and Éomer held that rank. After the War of the Ring, Éomer became King of Rohan, and a new Marshal of the East-mark was appointed. This was Elfhelm, and given his new rank it seems sure that he would have become the next lord of Aldburg in Éomer's place.
Notes
1 |
Aldburg was the original capital of Rohan, so it must have been built soon after the founding of that land in III 2510.
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2 |
It seems odd that the Rohirrim would choose to name their new capital 'old fortress'. This might imply that they founded it on the site of some older Gondorian settlement, or it may be that the name was changed at some point in history. Given that this was the original seat of Rohan's Kings, the name may have been changed when Eorl's son Brego removed to Edoras, to reflect Aldburg's status as the former capital. |
3 |
We're never told the precise position of Aldburg, but we do know that it stood on a hill, and that it lay within the area known as the Folde. The location shown on the map above seems to be the only possibility that matches those established facts. |
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- Updated 12 July 2009
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