The Thousands-Years Grudge: The Witch-King Versus The House of Elendil

For almost two thousand years, the majority of the Third Age, the threat to the peoples of Northwestern Middle-Earth was not believed to be Sauron.   Sauron was a mythological being, a defeated enemy long forgotten.  In his wake, it was the Ringwraiths, the Nine, who were the active menace, under the leadership of the Witch-King they formed the Kingdom of Angmar in the north to destroy the divided remnants of Arnor (being destroyed in the process) and then soon afterwards, not only conquered Minas Ithil from Gondor, but killed off the supposed last of the line of Elendil.

We know that Sauron wanted the Heir of Isildur gone, but someone suggested the idea that there might be something more going on here.  Why did the Witch-King seem hell-bent on the extermination of the line of Numenorean kings?  Was it just Sauron's most effective lieutenant being sent to do the job, or did the Witch-King have a personal stake?

We know that three of the Nazgul were Numenoreans that had been tempted by Sauron with the power of the Nine Rings.  Likely the others were meant to be men from Rhun and Harad - at least one, Khamul, is confirmed to be an Easterling.

The first appearance of the Nazgul was around the time of the death of Tar-Atanamir, in 2251 SA, considered the greatest ruler of Numenor, and the first to be corrupted.  In the next ruler's reign, Tar-Ancalimon, there's two very significant events - the construction of the Numenorean fortress-ports of Umbar (2280 SA) and Pelargir (2350 SA).  The latter is said to become a haven for the Faithful Numenoreans, and Umbar for the Black Numenoreans.

Now, let us enter the realm of conjecture - that the Witch-King's obsession with ending the House of Elendil was personal.  Elendil saw the Realms-in-Exile as the continuation of Numenor; that his capital, Annuminas, was a deliberate echo of the former lordship of Andunie is likely not a coincidence.  The chief reasoning, of course, is that he was descended from the early king of Numenor, Tar-Elendil.

If the Witch-King was also of the Line of Elros, then as a Black Numenorean he might see himself as the true heir to the kingdom, and the mere existence of Arnor/Gondor an affront to him.  This might have been the way Sauron swayed him, that the Ring would grant him the power and authority he craved.

We know that Tar-Atanamir had more than one child; one of these had a descendant that married one of the later Numenorean queens.  Because of the shadow falling on Numenor at this point, one of these children might have wanted the throne for themselves.  As such, Tar-Ancalimon might have made the political decision to essentially grant them their own fiefdom to hopefully satiate their desire for rulership.  As Pelargir is unlikely, being a later stronghold of the Faithful, we have Umbar itself.

Now while we were told the Nazgul first appeared in 2251 SA, this does not mean necessarily that all the Nine appeared at the time.  In fact, it would make more sense that Sauron would save the last three rings for his time in 'captivity' in Numenor.

By the time of Ar-Pharazon, Umbar was a mighty fortress.  He likely landed there because it was the closest Numenorean port on the coast to Numenor itself, and also because of the strong Black Numenorean loyalist presence.  The ruler of the fief at the time, the Lord of Umbar, a descendant of Tar-Atanamir himself, likely considered himself high royalty.  When Sauron was captured and passed through the port, he might have marked the Lord as a prime target for corruption, and provided him (along with two other lords, also likely based in Middle-Earth) with a ring, which he used to pursue his interests in dark magic and necromancy, and prolong his life.  

Shortly after the destruction of Numenor, he likely fully became a Ringwraith although this may not have been apparent.  He saw himself as the true heir of the fallen land and of Ar-Pharazon, and may have declared himself a king.  In Of the Rings of Power, there are mentioned two great Black Numenorean lords, Fuinur and Herumor, who rose to power among the Haradrim in those latter days of the Second Age, and followed Sauron.  It is tempting to interpret Herumor as 'black/dark lord' and as such, identify him as the Witch-King himself; maybe both lords were, in fact Ringwraiths.

We then have a minor echo of the Third Age to come; the Realm-in-Exile establishing itself over a century, Sauron believed gone or little threat, with a hated rival for being the true 'heir' to Numenor in Umbar itself.  The coastline between the Mouths of Anduin and Umbar itself might have been a battleground, and a distraction for the Southern Realm that allowed Sauron to launch his sudden furious attack that took Minas Ithil.

With the end of the Second Age and fall of Sauron, the Witch-King - like all the Nazgul - was driven into the east to slowly recover.  When he did, the survival of the rival Lords of Andunie, and that they had conquered his own city in the interim, would lead to his long-term quest to eradicate the line forever and rule as the only remaining true heir to the throne of Numenor, under Sauron himself.