The Siege of Minas Tirith

The Siege of Minas Tirith is the decisive military confrontation of the War of the Ring, the moment when Sauron's full strength is hurled against the last great bastion of the West. For days the city is encircled, bombarded, and assailed by the hosts of Mordor, while within its walls the Steward Denethor sinks into despair and the defenders are ground down by the Black Breath of the Nazgûl. The siege breaks only when the Rohirrim ride to Gondor's aid and Aragorn arrives with the fleet from the South, transforming the beleaguered defence into the open-field Battle of the Pelennor Fields.

The Approach and Encirclement

The siege begins in earnest after the fall of Osgiliath and the Rammas Echor, the outer wall of the Pelennor. Faramir, wounded by a Southron dart and overcome by the Black Breath, is carried back to the City, and the retreating Gondorian forces are harried by the Nazgûl. The enemy, having bridged the Anduin swiftly, pours across in overwhelming numbers. By nightfall the Pelennor is lost, and the City is ringed with trenches filled with fire, dug by orcs just out of bowshot. Great siege-engines are set up, and the bombardment begins: missiles that burst into flame are hurled over the walls, and among them fall the heads of the slain, branded with the Lidless Eye, a terror-weapon meant to break the spirit of the defenders. The Nazgûl circle overhead, their cries spreading dread, and the Black Captain himself, the Witch-king of Angmar, directs the assault from the rear, driving his slaves forward in madness.

The Defence and the Breaking of the Gate

Gandalf takes command of the defence, striding from Citadel to Gate, rallying men where he can, but the weight of the assault is relentless. The main wall is too high and strong to breach by ordinary means, so the enemy concentrates on the Great Gate. A huge ram, Grond, wrought in the likeness of a ravening wolf and inscribed with spells of ruin, is hauled forward by great beasts and mountain-trolls. The Gate withstands the first blows, but the Witch-king rises in his stirrups and cries aloud in a forgotten tongue, words of power and terror. Thrice he cries, and on the third stroke the Gate bursts asunder with a flash of lightning. The Lord of the Nazgûl rides through the archway, a vast black shape against the fires, and all flee before him—all save one. Gandalf sits upon Shadowfax, unmoving, and confronts him: "You cannot enter here. Go back to the abyss prepared for you!" The Witch-king laughs and lifts his flaming sword, but at that very moment, from far away, the horns of the Rohirrim are heard, and the siege is broken from without before the Gate can be taken from within.

The Fall of Denethor

Within the City, the Steward Denethor, having long used the palantír of Minas Tirith in a contest of will with Sauron, is driven to madness and despair. Believing all is lost, he orders a pyre to be built in the House of the Stewards in Rath Dínen, intending to burn himself and his wounded son Faramir alive. Beregond, a Guard of the Citadel, defies his orders and holds the door against the Steward's servants, allowing Gandalf to rescue Faramir. Denethor, clutching the palantír, sets the pyre alight and dies upon it, breaking his Steward's staff and casting the pieces into the flames. His death leaves the City leaderless at the height of the assault, but Gandalf and the Prince Imrahil take command in his stead.

The Relief and the Turning of the Tide

The siege is broken not by a single stroke but by two converging forces. The Rohirrim, led by King Théoden, ride down from the north, smashing through the besieging camps and driving the enemy before them. At the same time, Aragorn, having taken the Paths of the Dead and summoned the Oathbreakers, arrives with the black fleet of Umbar, now filled with the men of Lebennin and Lamedon, and unfurls the banner of the White Tree and the Seven Stars. The hosts of Mordor, caught between the hammer and the anvil, are thrown into confusion and routed. The siege becomes a battle, and the battle becomes a slaughter, ending with the destruction of the Witch-king by Éowyn and Meriadoc and the clearing of the Pelennor. The City is saved, but at great cost: Théoden is slain, Faramir lies near death, and the streets are filled with ash and the bodies of the fallen.