Dates

From before the first rising of the Sun into at least the Fourth Age

Location

The Kings ruled in Khazad-dûm until III 1981
After this they settled in various places throughout northwestern Middle-earth

Origins

Descended from Durin the Deathless, one of the original Fathers of the Dwarves

Race

Dwarves

Division

Longbeards (Durin's Folk)

Family

House of Durin

Settlements

Erebor, Khazad-dûm; some of the Kings also ruled from the Blue Mountains, Dunland, and the Grey Mountains

Other names

Durin's Heir, Heir of Durin; at different times in history Kings of this line were known as the King of Khazad-dûm and the King under the Mountain.

Title of

Nineteen known Dwarf-lords, and many others whose names are not recorded

Indexes:

About this entry:

Updated 14 June 2003
This entry is complete

King of Durin’s Folk

The royal line of the Longbeards

Years of the TreesFirst AgeISecond AgeIIThird AgeIIIFourth AgeIV

Durin I

Náin II

Dáin I

Borin

Thrór

Frór

Grór

Thráin II

Náin

Thorin II

Frerin

Dís

Dáin II

Thorin III

Durin VII

The later Kings of Durin's Folk, the descendants of Náin II, who was in turn the descendant of Durin I, called the Deathless. Those who held the title 'King of Durin's Folk' are shown in bold text.

Title given to Durin the Deathless and his descendants who ruled the Dwarves of Durin's Folk. Famous among these were Thorin II Oakenshield, who reclaimed Erebor from Smaug, and Dáin II Ironfoot, who fought in the War of the Ring.

No complete list of the Kings is known. The table below shows the names of those Kings who have been recorded, or whose existence can be deduced. As the descendants of Durin were forced by circumstance to travel widely in Middle-earth, the main seat(s) of their Kingship is shown for each King.

Durin I Khazad-dûm	One of the seven Fathers of the Dwarves, and the founder of the Longbeards, Durin's Folk. He ruled his people for centuries - so long, in fact, that he became known as the 'Durin the Deathless' - but eventually he passed away. From time to time over the millennia, one among Durin's descendants would arise so similar in bearing to his ancient ancestor that he, too, would be given the name 'Durin'.
Durin II Khazad-dûm	We know nothing of this King, except that the appearance of his descendant Durin III in the middle years of the Second Age shows that he must have ruled in Khazad-dûm at some time before that.
Durin III Khazad-dûm	The ruler of Khazad-dûm at the time of the forging of the Rings of Power, Durin III was a great friend of Celebrimbor the Lord of Eregion to the west. He received one of the Rings (later known as the Ring of Thrór) as a gift from his friend.
Durin IV Durin V Khazad-dûm	Like Durin II, we know nothing of the reigns of these two Kings, except that they must have ruled during the late Second Age or earlier Third Age. We can safely deduce their existence because we know that Durin VI took the throne in the late second millennium of the Third Age.
Durin VI Khazad-dûm	(Ruled to III 1980) The first King of Durin's Folk for whom we have specific dates was Durin VI, who ruled in Khazad-dûm at the time the Balrog was awoken. It slew Durin, for which reason it became known as Durin's Bane. Durin was succeeded briefly by his son.
Náin I Khazad-dûm	(Ruled 1 year to III 1981) He ruled for just a year in Khazad-dûm before he too was slain by the Balrog. He was succeeded by his son.
Thráin I Erebor	(Ruled 209 years to III 2190) He led a great part of his people away from Khazad-dûm into the north and east of Middle-earth. It was Thráin who founded the great Dwarf-kingdom of Erebor, the Lonely Mountain above the Long Lake. He was succeeded by his son.
Thorin I Grey Mountains	(Ruled 99 years to III 2289) Discerning that the great host of his people were gathering in the northern range of the Grey Mountains, Thorin I abandoned Erebor and removed there. He was succeeded by his son.
Glóin Grey Mountains	(Ruled 96 years to III 2385) He continued the rule of Durin's Folk in the Grey Mountains, and was succeeded by his son.
Óin Grey Mountains	(Ruled 103 years to III 2488) He was succeeded by his son.
Náin II Grey Mountains	(Ruled 97 years to III 2585) In his time, the prosperous Dwarves began to suffer attacks by the Dragons of the north. He was succeeded by his son.
Dáin I Grey Mountains	(Ruled 4 years to III 2589) His short reign came to a swift end when he was slain by a cold-drake before his own doors. He was succeeded by the eldest of his three sons.
Thrór Erebor	(Ruled 201 years to III 2790) He led his people out of the Dragon-infested north back to the Lonely Mountain, while his younger brother Grór led some part of their people further east, to settle in the Iron Hills. He had been King under the Mountain for 180 years when the great Dragon Smaug descended on his kingdom and sacked it. He escaped the destruction with his son and grandson, and went wandering in the wild. Eventually reaching his people's ancient home of Khazad-dûm, he found it infested with Orcs. His death at the hands of their leader, Azog, sparked the War of the Dwarves and Orcs. He was succeeded by his son.
Thráin II Dunland Blue Mountains	(Ruled 60 years to III 2850) He avenged his father's death with the defeat of Azog's Orcs at the Battle of Azanulbizar. In the early part of his reign, he dwelt in Dunland, but he later moved northward to the Blue Mountains west of Eriador. Before his reign ended, he resolved to return to Erebor, but wandering in the wild he was captured by servants of the Necromancer, and died in the dungeons of Dol Guldur. He was succeeded by his eldest son.
Thorin II Blue Mountains	(Ruled 91 years to III 2941) He ruled as King in the Blue Mountains for many years, but like his father before him he at last determined to return to his ancient home of Erebor. Accompanied by Gandalf and Bilbo Baggins, he led a troop of companions into the far east, and against all hope recovered the Lonely Mountain from Smaug. After Smaug's death, the Battle of Five Armies was fought in the valley below Erebor, and Thorin was slain. The only remaining descendants of Thrór's line, Thorin's young nephews Fíli and Kíli, were also lost in the battle. So the descent of the Kingship passed to the line of Thrór's younger brother Grór, and specifically to Grór's grandson Dáin Ironfoot.
Dáin II Erebor	(Ruled 78 years to III 3019) He ruled in prosperity as King under the Mountain for many years until the time of the War of the Ring. He was slain in that war, in the Battle of Dale, and was succeeded by his son.
Thorin III Erebor	He was besieged in Erebor for seven days after the loss of his father, but when news reached the forces of Sauron that their master had been defeated, he was able to drive them back. With Thorin III, detailed records of the reigns of the Kings come to an end, but we have a record of just one of his descendants.
Durin VII Khazad-dûm?	He was said to be the last of the Durins to rule over Durin's Folk. Durin's Bane had been destroyed in the War of the Ring, so that Khazad-dûm lay open for recovery by its ancient owners, and there is some evidence that it was Durin VII who at last achieved this.

We know that Durin I died before the end of the First Age, so that between his rule and that of Thorin III, the Kings of Durin's line ruled for a period of about 6,500 years. Given that the average length of a reign among the Longbeards seems to have been roughly a century, we can deduce that there are probably about fifty Kings' names missing from this list.

King of Durin’s Folk

The royal line of the Longbeards

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