Sauron.

Annatar. (Lord of gifts)

Sauron served in the beginning Aulë but Melkor had him dragged to his side and Sauron became his prince and greatest servant. Sauron was perverted to Melkor`s service from the early counting of time and he served as his spy in the Valian Year 3400 when the Valar had their abode upon Almaren.

Valian Years ( V.Y.) 0 - 3450.

V.Y 0 - 1500. Uncounted years filled with laboring had gone by in the timeless ages before the Gods decented into the world in year 0. But Melkor contested the overlordship of Manwë and strife were in the world. Manwë summoned help and among those who heard was Tulkas and he came to the aid. Before his face Melkor fled out into Eä.

1500 - 1900. Now the gods planned and schemed and ordered and for all the seeds Yavanna had planted Aulë made two great lamps Ormal and Illuin to lit the earth and these were set in 1900 upon Helkar and Ringil.

V.Y. 1900 - 3450. Now began the Spring of Arda, the Gods settled at Almaren and the world came to life, threes and beasts swollened the earth but Melkor saw it from the outside of the Wall of Things and grew hot and he heard it from his spies of whom Sauron was the chiefest and among the Gods. Manwë had called for a great feast and while the Gods were afterwards resting Melkor crept over the Wall and entered Arda in the North and assailed the Lamps and overthrew them and the blossom of the earth was checked. I believe that it was during these battles Sauron showed his color and openly served Melkor.

V.Y.3450 - 3500 Melkor and Sauron rules middle-Earth.

Related Links.: Battles: War of shaping Arda. Misc.: Making of the Lamps.

Now began the Valian Years of the Trees. ( V.Y.t ) and a new reckoning of time.

V.Y.t 0 - 1000 This was the Noontide of Valinor though Middle-earth was still in darkness and only Oromë and Yavanna came there at times and the stewardship of Middle-earth was partly neglected and Melkor ruled there with violence. Not far from the Western shores of Belegaer Melkor made a fortress and armory named Angband and assigned it to Sauron. The Western Gods took council with Ilúvatar and decided to capture Melkor. The War of the Gods broke out and Melkor was captured ( Year 1099 ) and brought to Valinor ( Year 1100 ) where he was doomed to serve 3 ages in the fastness of Mandos.

But Sauron was not found and he laid hid while Melkor was captured. After the Gods had returned to Aman Sauron continued the work, forging evil and spreading lies.

V.Y.t 1495 Melkor returns and delves anew his deep dungeons in Angband where Sauron was hiding.

V.Y.t. 1497 - 1498 The first host of Elves lead by Fëanor returns. Fëanor killed by Balrogs. Maedhros captured by deceit of Melkor and hanged high upon Thangorodrim by a hellwrought steel-band.

Related Links.: Battles.: War of the Gods. Dagor-nuir-Giliath. Orcs.: Origin of Orcs.

First Age.

The First age are counted from the rising of the Sun, this happened at the very same time as Fingolfin and his host arrived in Mithrim after the crossing of the Grinding ice.

F.A.455 Sauron conquers the island Tol Sirion. Renamed to Tol-in-Gaurhoth.

F.A.465 - 466. Beren and Finrod comes to Tol-in-Gaurhoth, Finrod slain but Lúthien and Húan rescues Beren and slays Sauron in disquise. Sauron returns to Angband and the tower upon the island is destroyed by Luthien.

Second Age.

S.A.750 moves Galadriel and Celeborn East to counter the evil who had arose in Mirkwood in the East. Sauron moves East and enters Mordor in 1200. During the next couple of hundred years Sauron shows up in friendly disguise but Cirdan and Gil-Galad refuses to treat with him and denies him any kind of dealings.

In Second age around the first millennium chooses Sauron, scared by the power of the Númenorians, Mordor as the place to build his stronghold and he starts to build Barad Dûr.

S.A.1200 - 1500. The smiths in Ost-in-Edhil in Eregion welcomes Sauron, who in disguise used the name Annatar, as a great teacher.

S.A.1500-1600. The making of great elven-rings are begun.

S.A.1590-1600. Sauron is making the One Ring in Sammath Naur in order to bend will of the Elven Rings and bring them under his command.

In 1600 discovers Celebrimbor the treason of Sauron and in 1693 delivers Celebrimbor Narya and Vilya to Gil-Galad in Lindon and the War of Elves and Sauron begins.

S.A.1697. Celebrimbor slain by Sauron in the War between Elves and Sauron, With ruin and devastation came he with great forces and laid Eregion waste. Celebrimbor desperately withstood Sauron himself but at last he was taken, tormented and finally put to death

S.A.1699. Sauron has taken all of Eriador, is besieging Imladris and stands at the brink of Lhun where Gil-Galad and Cirdan desperately defends Lindon.

A battle was fought at Sarn Ford in the Second Age 1700 where Sauron was forced to retreat to Tharbad where he had forces standing but Admiral Ciryatur had sent part of his ships down further to the South to the old haven of Númenor; Lond-Daer and Sauron is attacked again while he is on the run and he is routed utterly, he himself only just escaped with a small bodyguard to the plains West of the Ash.Mountains.

After his defeat in the War between Elves and Sauron in S.A.1700 he returns to Mordor and extends his power Eastward. He is pondering upon the strength of Númenor and looking for a glitches to sowe his evil seeds and when time seems fit he proclaims himself as the greatest King ever to have been and ever to come well knowing that the King of Númenor; Ar-Pharazôn the Golden, would not let the insult pass.

S.A.3261. When Ar-Pharazôn landed at Umbar Sauron humbles himself and is taken as prisoner to Númenor.

S.A.3264. In the years between him being brought to Numenor as prisoner and this year he persuaded Ar-Pharazôn to assail Aman. As the fleet of Númenor reached the shores of Aman and thunderbolts and fire smothe the land, the Gods first were silent in sorrow and dismay but at last Manwë spoke to Iluvatar and took counsel and power of the Lord of All and the fate and fashion of the world was changed.

After the Downfall of Númenor S.A.3319 Saurons spirit fled and returned to Mordor in Middle-Earth 3320 and he lost forever his ability to show forth in a fair shape. After his return to Mordor he soon began to gather his minions and the Ringwraiths around him and in S.A.3429 he assails the newly founded kingdom of Gondor. Sauron assails Gondor in Second age 3429 and captures Minas Ithil and burns the White Tree but of some unknown reason the Palantiri escapes him at this time. He forces Isildur to flee but he is not able to conquer Osgiliath, beat Anarion and cross river Anduin.

T.A.3441. Sauron is defeated in the War of the last Alliance. Isildur cuts the One Ring of his finger with the hilt-shards of Narsil.

Related links.: Battles.: Fall of Númenor. War of Elves and Sauron. Misc.: Shadow of Númenor.

Third Age.

Sometime between end of the Second Age and year 1000 In the Third Age of Middle-Earth, Manwë summons the Valar for a council ( maybe by advice of Eru ) to decide how to strengthen the contest against Sauron in Middle-Earth. The order of the Istari were created and the Maiar chosen. When this happened is nowhere told but the Istari or Wizards appeared in Middle-Earth around the T.A.1000 - 1100. Olorin was specific pointed out by Manwë and ordered to go to Middle-Earth.

T.A.2002. The Nazgûl conquer Minas Ithil and the Morgul Pass with the Tower of Cirith Ungol comes under the supreme command of Sauron. Perhaps the Two Watchers are made at this time or imboddied with the evil that afterwards guards the entrance to the tower.

T.A.2845. With Balin and Dwalin and some few others he sets out but he his ever pursued by the servants of Sauron. Wolves pursued him, Orcs waylaid him, evil birds shadowed his path, and the more he tried to go North the more he was driven back.

One night South of Gladden near the eaves of Mirkwood he vanished out of their camp. Despite a long search he is not found by his friends and finally they return to Ered Luin. The truth is that Thráin was captured and imprisoned in Dol Guldur in Mirkwood where Sauron torments and questioning him and takes the last Dwarvish Ring from him.

T.A.2941. Sauron is expelled of Dol Guldur and Mirkwood by the Council of the Wizards.

T.A.2980 - 3016. Sméagol has been venturing into Mordor some time between these years and was captured by Sauron. Under torment he reveals the name of Baggins to Sauron as the thief who took the One Ring.

T.A.3017. Sméagol is released from Barad Dûr this year. Probably in the hope he will lead Sauron`s servants to Baggins and the One Ring.

Related links.: Misc.: The Istari. Encyc.: of Sauron.