Rhun (Easterlings)

Rhun was the name of the lands in the far east of Middle Earth inhabited by tribes of men. These were known simply as Easterlings to those of the western lands.

When Sauron established the land of Mordor the men of Rhun and Harad became his minions. The Easterlings grew strong during this period, building walled towns of stone.

When Sauron gave the nine rings of power to men, one went Khamul the Easterling, who eventually was corrupted. He became the second-in-command of the Nazgul.

Easterlings fought for Sauron in the War of the Last Alliance at which Sauron lost the One Ring. During the Third Age the Easterlings renewed their attacks on Gondor.

Some of these Easterlings were known as Wainriders. They travelled in wains ( wagons) and some fought in chariots.

Easterlings continued to attack Gondor during the War of the Ring. They fought at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, although unfortunately none can be seen in this battle in the recent movies. The Easterlings and Haradrim fought bravely and were the last to be beaten.

To the north of Gondor, at the same time, Easterlings attacked the men of Dale and the dwarves of the Lonely Mountain. After three days of fighting King Brand and King Dain were slain and the good side retreated into the Lonely Mountain.

After the defeat of Sauron, Aragorn made peace with many of the Easterlngs. Some did not surrender so easily and Aragorn campaigned with Eomer out past the Sea of Rhun to finally subdue them.