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The West-mark was the name given to the lands of Rohan that lay westward of the river Entwash. As a military ward, the West-mark excluded Rohan's capital of Edoras (which formally lay in the far south of the region), but it included the populous Westfold Vale that ran along the fringes of the White Mountains. The Riders of this wide region were tasked with defending the land of Rohan against threats from beyond the Gap of Rohan on their land's western borders. When need arose, one of the Marshals of the Riddermark would be assigned command over the Riders of West-mark, and had the authority to call them together as a Western Muster. The West-mark was commanded from the castle of the Súthburg (later called the Hornburg) in the valley of Helm's Deep. Throughout much of the history of Rohan, the chief threat in this region came from the Dunlendings beyond the Gap, who had historically claimed parts of the land as their own, and saw the Rohirrim as interlopers. Early HistoryThe third King of Rohan, Aldor the Old, took an aggressive posture toward the Dunlendings, sending the Riders of West-mark to drive them back from the border, and even raid into Dunland beyond the Gap. Nonetheless the Dunlendings remained a continuing threat, and in III 2758 they invaded in force, and even succeeded in occupying Edoras itself. This was the war in which King Helm Hammerhand was slain, but his successor Fréaláf was able to defeat the Dunlendings and drive them back into their own land. Immediately afterward, the Wizard Saruman came to Rohan and sought permission to settle in the old Tower of Orthanc that guarded the Gap of Rohan. This was granted by Beren, the Ruling Steward of Gondor at the time, and at first Saruman worked to aid the Rohirrim in their recovery from the privations of the Dunlending invasion. As the centuries passed, however, Saruman turned to his own ambitions, and secretly recruited an army of Orcs and Dunlendings. By the closing years of the Third Age, Isengard had begun to pose a direct threat to the Rohirrim, and its position on the western borders of Rohan meant that the Riders of West-mark would be the ones to meet this threat. The War of the RingThat threat from the west was realised in February III 3019, when Saruman sent his forces down the course of the river Isen to attack the Fords that protected Rohan's western frontier. The two Battles of the Fords of Isen that followed were disastrous for the Rohirrim. In the First Battle, they were able to hold the Fords, but lost Théoden's heir Théodred, who had been commanding the defence. His place as commander was taken by Erkenbrand, but a Second Battle was fought a week later. In that battle, the Fords fell to Saruman's Dunlendings and Orcs, and the Riders of West-mark were driven back. The Riders regrouped in their stronghold of the Hornburg in Helm's Deep, a valley running into the northern slopes of the White Mountains. The Orcs massed into a huge force to attack the Hornburg and its defensive Deeping Wall, and there followed the desperate Battle of the Hornburg. The defenders were ultimately victorious, due in part to the intervention of the Ents of Fangorn Forest. With the invaders neutralised, the Riders of West-mark were free to assemble with the other Rohirrim at Dunharrow, and then begin the long ride to aid in the defence of Minas Tirith. Although Erkenbrand had been their leader to this point, Théoden wished a man of his age and experience to remain behind to lead those left in Rohan, and so the younger Grimbold of Westfold took command of the Riders of West-mark during the ride to Gondor. With the other Rohirrim, the Riders of West-mark made their way eastward to Minas Tirith, where they joined the Battle of the Pelennor on the fields below the City. In that battle, the Riders were instrumental in driving back the forces of Sauron and saving Minas Tirith, though many were lost. Among the slain was Grimbold, the commander that Théoden had assigned to lead the Riders of West-mark mere days beforehand. After the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, Aragorn led a small army out of Gondor toward the Black Gate of Mordor, and the surviving Riders of West-mark joined this diversionary force. As they made their way through Ithilien to the Dark Land, these Riders are named among those whose courage failed them. Aragorn sent them instead to secure the isle of Cair Andros, which was at that time in enemy hands, and in this task they evidently succeeded. After the War of the RingKing Théoden had been slain in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, and he was succeeded by his nephew Éomer, who had a different vision for the military arrangement of his Riders. For centuries, Marshals had been assigned as the needs of the time demanded, but the new King created the rank of Marshal of the West-mark, to be a permanent commander for all the Riders of West-mark. The first to hold this new position was old Erkenbrand, the lord of Westfold who had proved himself an effective leader during the Battles of the Fords of Isen. Under the command of Erkenbrand and his successors, the Riders of West-mark continued to defend their realm into the Fourth Age. Indexes: About this entry:
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