Gandalf a "steward?"

[davem]

Originally Posted by Elladan and Elrohir

So Aragorn's kingship was not illegal in any sense. Not to say that anyone on this thread has said that, but it seems to be implied in some cases.

I think it would come under 'Not Proven'. Yes, the Council's decisions could be overturned, but the Arvedui decision had not yet been overturned when Boromir died (or when Denethor died, come to that).

It was Aragorn's generalship in the war which won him the Kingship - his ancestry was merely the 'icing on the cake'. If the West had won the war but he'd proved an incompetent leader I've no doubt that even if his ancestry was accepted by all & sundry he'd have fared no better than Arvedui. They wanted the victorious warrior, the wise counselor whose hands brought healing & as soon as there was evidence of some hereditary connection with the Royal House his position was assured. In other words, what got him the kingship was his prowess & leadership qualities, not his blood.