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The House of Stuart and the Stewards of Gondor

Murray Smith has written a detailed article suggesting possible origins for the office of Steward of Gondor, including similarities with the office of Lord High Steward of Scotland, and with some offices in England and France. The article was given as a lecture to the Tolkien 2005 Conference in Birmingham.

The title of ‘High (or Great) Steward of Scotland’ was given by King David I of Scotland (reigned 1124-1153) to Walter, that king’s successor Malcolm IV (r. 1153-1165) making the office hereditary. The office had administrative responsibilities, ‘the privilege of leading the army into battle’, and ‘control of the royal household’. The 3^rd Great Steward, Walter’s grandson, first used the surname Stewart (later Stuart), after the office he held. The Stuart Kings of Scotland, later of England and Ireland, were descended from this family. In 1371, when King David II died childless, the 7^th Great Steward, his nephew, became King Robert II, the first Stuart king.

In the very detailed article there is reference to:

• Boromir’s frustration at the Stewards of Gondor being excluded from the Gondorian throne and the implied reference to the Scottish Stuarts.

• In the periods 1286-1291 and 1296-1306, Scotland was ruled by a joint or group regency of ‘Guardians’, among them being the 5^th High Steward of Scotland, as well as Sir William Wallace and Robert the Bruce, Earl of Carrick. At this time, King Edward I of England claimed to be the feudal overlord of Scotland.

• Tolkien’s description of the office of Steward of Gondor and how it evolved.

• The office of Lord High Steward of England, which since 1399 has occasionally been activated for the trials of peers and for coronations.

• The function of the white staff as a symbol of office of the Lord High Steward of England and Denethor II breaking his before committing suicide.

• An overview of regency and related legislation in the United Kingdom since 1707, and the fact that a collective regency was provided for in some instances.

• Boromir has the title of ‘Captain-General’, once used for the person commanding England’s, later the United Kingdom’s land forces, as the monarch’s deputy.
   

The present Great Steward of Scotland is Prince Charles.

Reference:

Smith, Murray, ‘Some possible origins of the Stewards of Gondor’, in Sarah Wells (ed.) The Ring Goes Ever On: Proceedings of the Tolkien 2005 Conference, volume 2, (Tolkien Society, 2008).
 

Abstract:

This paper is an examination, mostly from a constitutional and legal perspective, of where J.R.R. Tolkien might have found elements used by him to construct the hereditary office of Steward of Gondor. An overview of regency in general is followed by an overview of the office of Steward in the context of regency in Númenor and the Realms in Exile, particularly Gondor. Then we look at certain elements in more detail: the word ‘steward’ and associated words; specific offices that may have influenced the creation of the stewardship, in particular that of Lord High Steward of England; and regency matters in Scottish, U.K., and Hungarian history, that the author feels were influential.

The Author:

The Author of this page and of the article, Murray Smith, is from Dublin. A Tolkien fan since the age of 12, he has been a Tolkien Society member since 2002. He was called to the Bar of Ireland in 1999.