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Why didn't Arigorn take the throne after his father died?
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Because his father didn't take the throne either, and neither did his grandfather, or his great grandfather. It all goes back to the founding of Arnor and Gondor after the downfall of Numenor. Elendil, the king of Arnor and Gondor, had two sons, Isildur and Anarion. When Elendil was killed by Sauron, Isildur's descendants took over the North Kngdom, Arnor, while Anarion's descendants took over the South Kingdom, Gondor. After Arvedui, the last king of Arnor, died, there weren't enough people left in the North to be king of, so his son Aranarth was only the leader of the rangers and his title was passed down from generation to generation until Aragorn became the leader of the rangers. After Onodher, the last king of Gondor, died, Arvedui tried to claim the throne, but his claim was resisted because he was descended from Isildur, not Anarion. The throne was given to Earnil, a warrior who had recently won a battle against the orcs. After his son Earnur died without any children, his steward Mardil became the first Steward of Gondor. As you know, Aragorn was descended from Isildur and therefore his father, Arathorn, was not a king, just the leader of the rangers.
[ August 13, 2003: Message edited by: Meneltarmacil ]