Quote:
|
one might say he was doing his own genealogical research to be able to claim the throne.
|
Denethor, nor any of the Stewards would ever be able to become "officially" King. Now, you may argue that Denethor in his latter days had a lot of power, and ruled as a King, but he would never have been able to officially claim the Kingship. And Denethor as we see knows this. Denethor loves power, he doesn't like those who aren't under his rule, but he understands that he can't be king. As we see in The Window on the West, Faramir tells Frodo...
Quote:
|
'And this I remember Boromir as a boy, when we together learned the tale of our sires and the history of our city, that always it displeased him that his father was not king. "How many hundreds of years needs it to make a steward a king, if the king returns not?" he asked. "Few years, maybe, in other places of less royalty," my father answered. "In Gondor ten thousand years would not suffice."
|
The Stewards were theoretically unable to become King, because of a Declaration of a past steward.
After King Ondoher's death and the death of his sons, Gondor was left without a king. The Steward Pelendur ruled the city for a while, then Arvedui (one of the Dunedain) tried to claim the throne. He claimed to be Isildur's heir and that he wanted to reunite Gondor and Arnor. Pelendur and The Council denied his claim, saying Isildur gave up the throne of Gondor to the son of his brother, Meneldil. So, they declared only "Male heirs from the line of Anarion" can claim the throne. Then they found the successful General Earnil, who was a descendant of a past King, Telumehtar Umbardacil.
But, with Pelendur's declaration, this prohibited Stewards from officially becoming King, since they are not male heirs of Anarion. I say officially because as we see their power would grow and they would rule like a king, until a King returns in which they relinquish their power.