Lord of the Rings has an extensive history, and it’s pretty apparent that J. R. R. Tolkien put a lot of work and a lot of thought into it. Of course, it’s not so overwhelming that creators cannot interject their own interpretations and world building into the world of Middle Earth, but it is pretty comprehensive.
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As such, if creators want something that’s going to make hardcore fans happy and could be considered canon, a lot of things need to be taken into consideration — like the time period. Luckily for Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, that’s actually pretty easily done.
LotR: The War of the Rohirrim Takes Place 183 Years Before The War Of The Ring
There’s a lot of estimation as to when Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim takes place, but with most certainty, it is around 183 years before the War of the Rings as indicated by the synopsis on the official movie site. This is entirely feasible because there is, admittedly, a lot of wiggle room within the canon lore given the broad swaths of time the various appendixes within The Return of the King cover.
Perusing through both Appendix A and B, the best year that could be pinpointed is sometime around 2758 and 2759 in the Third Age. These years are notable because this is when Helm the Hammerhead was king, notably the last King of the Mark in the First Line.
As noted in Appendix A, next to Helm the Hammerhead’s entry, “At the end of his reign Rohan suffered great loss, by invasion and the Long Winter. Helm and his sons Haleth and Hama perished.” In Appendix B, the notable occurrences during Helm the Hammerhead’s reign include 2758, when “Rohan attacked from west and east and overrun. Gondor attacked by fleets of the Corsairs. Helm of Rohan takes refuge in Helm’s Deep.” And in 2759, “Death of Helm. Frealaf drives out Wulf, and begins second line of Kings of the Mark.”
Now, you may be having issues here — understandable, because the Great Years (aka when Lord of the Rings takes place), in 3018, are over 250 years later. However, this isn’t using the Lord of the Rings as a marker — it’s using the War of the Ring as a marker, which began in 2941, with the attack on Dol Guldur and the Battle of the Five Armies in Dale. This also happens to be when our friendly hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, finds the ring. So… yes… 2758 in the Third Age is exactly when Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim takes place.
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