In J. R. R. Tolkien’s legendarium, Gondor was a hereditary kingdom. One day its heirless king rode off to battle and never returned. The government therefore set up a regency intended to administer the country until an heir to the throne could be located. This regency ended up persisting for about a thousand years until a legitimate heir was indentified and installed.
In the real world regents are often installed for short times, such as when a living monarch is too young or ill to govern. Occasionally, as in Gondor, the ruling line will die out, or will be deposed, and a regent will be installed until a new monarch is found: this was the case in Hungary from 1920 to 1944, when the monarchy was reestablished but the deposed Austro-Hungarian Emperor not recalled. Is this the longest regency the world has ever seen, or has there been any longer case?
In Gondor’s defense, the pregnant queen bunked off to Rivendell where she felt safe and protected as memory served - which was then repeated by Aragorn’s mum.
I find it fascinating that Elrond was there when the Ring was first taken, and has sat around watching 2500 years of human history :eek:
There was no pregnant queen of Gondor when the last king was killed. That’s why the Stewards took over…no heirs.
Elrond was there when the SILMARILS were recovered (such as that recovery was). He was far older than 2500 years. Galadriel was actually much older than him (she was his mother-in-law, after all). Cirdan was possibly the oldest elf actually still in Middle-Earth in the Third Age, though.