The Last Debate and the Council of the Númenóreans

[Alcuin]

As had the Kings of Númenor, the Kings of the Dúnedain in exile had councils, one in Arnor, the other in Gondor. The nobles of Arnor and Gondor, the councils of the two kingdoms, met together in the camp of the Dúnedain of the North, of Arnor, for the Last Debate.

It is true that Aragorn had not yet been crowned King of Gondor, but Faramir, as Steward the senior nobleman of Gondor, recognized Aragorn as King when he awoke in the Houses of Healing in the presence of his uncle, Imrahil, and of Éomer. Imrahil subsequently acknowledged him as king at the meeting in the camp. As King of the Rohirrim, Éomer was also ruler of Calenardhon, and included in the Council of Gondor as a nobleman of Gondor, recognized the overlordship of Aragorn, who in turn acknowledged the independence of Rohan in its own affairs. Saruman should have been included as keeper of Angrenost (Isengard), but his disbarment meant that Gandalf took his place as chief councilor of Gondor.

Aragorn was already de facto King of Arnor, as Elrond proclaimed to Boromir in Rivendell and made known publicly to the Dúnedain of Gondor by delivering to him the Sceptre of Annúminas and the hand of his daughter Arwen in marriage. With the death of Halbarad, Aragorn’s closest relative, the most senior nobleman of Arnor was dead: Elladan and Elrohir, foster-brothers of Aragorn, served as the Council of Arnor, and stood in for their father Elrond who, though not formally a member of the old Council (made up of Dúnedain), would surely have been welcomed for his wisdom and counsel, which Elrohir delivered. For Arnor as well as Gondor, Gandalf acted as chief councilor.

This was the first time the two Councils of Arnor and Gondor met as one since the days of Elendil.

[Valandil]

Interesting! Or at least - the first since soon after Elendil's passing. It's possible that they all met together - Isildur with the greater nobles of Arnor and Meneldil with the greater nobles of Gondor, after the end of the War of the Last Alliance, before the bulk of the Arnoreans returned north. Isildur's return, in year 2 of the Third Age, would have marked the return of the final elements of Arnor... and for him, it was a new place to go, as King.

[Earniel]

In a way I often wondered at what common and other noble Gondoreans thought of this council.

Surely there were -- if not in Arnor, then surely in Gondor-- other nobles or councilors that perhaps made up a council for Denethor. If we look at politics, they undoubtedly would have surfaced and stepped forward at that point in the story, if only to curry favour with the new king, but they're all absent. I take it they all did not die in the battle before Minas Tirith.

(Storywise I know it makes no sense to bring up all these characters at the last few chapters anyway.)

[Alcuin]

Originally the Council of Gondor must have included at least the King, the Steward, the Lords of Minas Ithil and Minas Arnor, the Captain of the Fleet in Pelargir, and probably the Lord of Dol Amroth. (Dol Amroth might have been a late addition to the Council to replace others lost along the way after Mithrellas married Imrazôr, but I think I remember Tolkien said that Elendil was related to Imrazôr’s ancestor.) There might also have been a march-warden in South Gondor, and, for a while, a governor in Umbar. That makes anywhere from a half-dozen to eight council members, a respectable number of close advisors. Someone must have been in charge of the day-to-day governance of Osgiliath, too: whomever was in charge of the capitol had to be very influential. (That might have been the Steward’s job.) During the Middle Ages, such local potentates would also have served as military commanders in time of war.

Once you begin to get to a dozen or more council members, though, you begin to reach numbers that might be considered a senate.

[Earniel]

A country the size of even Third-Aera-Gondor probably justified a senate. But since Gondor was a kingdom, and Rome took a lot of step to make sure they weren't one, that's probably one of the reasons why Gondor didn't have a senate.

Still, hard to imagine even able Denethor micromanaging the entire land on his own. Granted, the existance of the Palantiri probably helped a lot. Rome had to do without.