Tension between Rohan and Gondor in the fourth age

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Zigûr

The Oath refers particularly to the mutual friendship between the kingdoms against "the Shadow in the East" and "the Shadow" in general; I can imagine in time arguments being raised as the realms became more 'political' that, with the defeat of the Dark Lord, the Oath no longer carried the same weight.

Both realms, though, had an incentive to remain friends beyond what may serve their respective peoples at a given moment.

The Oath, as voiced by Eorl, ends by saying:

'This vow shall descend to my heirs, all such as may come after me in our new land, and let them keep it in faith unbroken, lest the Shadow fall upon them and they become accursed.'

As Zigûr noted, if the Shadow refers to Sauron only, then it's possible to interpret the Oath as being void after his fall. However, a footnote in the Unfinished Tales chapter Cirion and Eorl mentions that the Oath was renewed by Aragon and Éomer in the same hallowed place on Amon Anwar. Aragorn is said to have named Eru in witness to the Oath, which would then not have mentioned Sauron in particular.

I think the two realms would have kept that in mind, and as long as they existed as states as they were at the time of the Oath, would have remained faithful.