Aragorn's Reunited Empire: Just a paper dream?

[The Saucepan Man]

Originally Posted by Tuor of Gondolin

"The orcs no longer existed as rational creatures."
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Is there some "canon" stating this. Since the orcs (derived from corrupted elves and/or men) were rational creatures, why would they no longer exist. After all,
they survived past decimations, from the First through the Third Ages.

It's probably fairer to say that they were no longer "united" (to the extent that Orcs ever can be united) under single leaders save, presumably, at tribal level.

[Formendacil]

Another thing to note is that Aragorn was king for over 100 years. That's an entire century during which his kingdom was more or less at peace internally. All the indications were that throughout Elessar's reign, at least, Gondor suffered no civil war, no major famines, plagues, or invasions.

As regards the baby boom effect then, it could easily have been a several generation baby boom. There is certainly room for four, or five generations to be born in the span of Elessar's reign. So if the population doubled (to pick a number), thus having four children for every two adults, then the population of the United Kingdom would have been 16-32 times as much at the onset of Eldarion's reign than at the beginning of his father's.

With that sort of a population boom in Gondor, you could easily rebuild the dwindling population of that land, as well as send plenty of settlers north to the re-established kingdom of Arnor.

[Lalaith]

Lord Melkor, I'm extremly impressed by your grasp of Middle Earth geo-politics which far exceeds mine, but I feel you are starting from a premise that the various territories and kingdoms needed to be brought under Elessar's rule by force.
I think Tolkien's view was of a consenting federation. If you want an analogy, look at the European Union, after the fall of the Iron Curtain. No-one is forcing anyone to be part of it, but there's countries of the former Eastern Bloc, and now the near East: Turkey, Cyprus etc, clamouring to get in because the EU is prosperous and peaceful and by and large, it makes good economic sense to join.
Or, if you want to get more mediaeval, there was the Hanseatic League, which was a similar and most popular arrangement...

[davem]

Originally Posted by Lalaith

If you want an analogy, look at the European Union, after the fall of the Iron Curtain. No-one is forcing anyone to be part of it, but there's countries of the former Eastern Bloc, and now the near East: Turkey, Cyprus etc, clamouring to get in because the EU is prosperous and peaceful and by and large, it makes good economic sense to join.

Yeah - Fourth Age Gondor: funny money, straight bananas from Far Harad, a constitution that nobody wants, enough red tape to reach to Valinor & back a couple of dozen times, beaurocrats taking over the top six levels of Minas Tirith & spending half the week running things from Gondor & the other half from Arnor.

[Lalaith]

No-one is forcing anyone to be part of it

[davem]

Originally Posted by Lalaith

Think you may be confusing Fourth Age Gondor with Third Age Mordor.....

[Lalaith]

Ahem. Put down that Daily Mail, davem. I wasn't trying to make a political point, I was merely putting forward the thesis that there are now, and have previously been in history, countries who feel that belonging a loose federation of peaceful and mutually supportive states was something beneficial, and they wouldn't necessarily need military coercion to stay involved. As could have been the case in Elessar's realm.