Kings of Durin’s Folk

The Kings of Durin's Folk were those of the House of Durin who ruled as kings, even when in exile.

The kings were all descended from Durin the Deathless of the First Age; in fact, five of the kings after Durin I were held to be reincarnations of him by the Dwarves. No complete list of all kings is known. The table below shows the names of those Kings who have been recorded, or whose existence could be deduced. In the table all information was obtained from The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "Durin’s Folk" unless otherwise indicated. The "Realm(s)" column indicates which place or places the kings ruled from during their reigns.

NameBirthDeathRealm(s)Historical Notes
Durin I the DeathlessBetween Years of the Trees 1050 and Years of the Trees 1250 Late First AgeKhazad-dûmOne of the seven Fathers of the Dwarves and founder of the Longbeards, Durin's Folk. He ruled his people for centuries - so long, in fact, that he became known as the "Durin the Deathless" - but eventually, he died before the end of the First Age. He established the city of Khazad-dûm and began his reign there.
Durin IIUnknownUnknownKhazad-dûmNothing is recorded about his reign.
Durin IIIUnknownUnknownKhazad-dûmHe was the King of Khazad-dûm at the time of the forging of the Rings of Power (sometime between Second Age 1500 and Second Age 1590) and a great friend of Celebrimbor the Lord of Eregion. He received one of the Seven Rings (later known as the Ring of Thrór) as a gift from his friend. The Alliance of Dwarves and Men in the North is said to have come to an end during his reign.
Durin IVUnknownUnknownKhazad-dûmNothing is recorded about his reign.
Durin VUnknownUnknownKhazad-dûmNothing is recorded about his reign.
Durin VIThird Age 1731Third Age 1980 †Khazad-dûmHe was King when the Balrog was awakened in Third Age 1980. After he was killed by it the Balrog was called Durin's Bane and Khazad-dûm was known as Moria.
Náin IThird Age 1832Third Age 1981 †Khazad-dûmHe reigned for just one year before he was also slain by Durin's Bane.
Thráin IThird Age 1934Third Age 2190Erebor He led a great part of his people away from Khazad-dûm into the North and founded the Kingdom under the Mountain in Third Age 1999. The Arkenstone was discovered during his reign in the Lonely Mountain.
Thorin IThird Age 2035Third Age 2289Erebor, Ered MithrinLearning that his people were regrouping in the Grey Mountains, Thorin I abandoned Erebor and reestablished the throne in the Ered Mithrin in Third Age 2210.
GlóinThird Age 2136Third Age 2385Ered MithrinNothing is recorded about his reign.
ÓinThird Age 2238Third Age 2488Ered MithrinTowards the very end of Óin's reign, in T.A. 2460, the Shadow returned to Dol Guldur in Mirkwood with increased strength; and in c. T.A. 2480 Orcs began to spread again in the Misty Mountains in order to block all passes into Eriador, whilst Sauron populated Moria with his creatures.
Náin IIThird Age 2338Third Age 2585Ered MithrinIn Third Age 2570, the prosperous Dwarves began to suffer attacks by the Dragons of the North.
Dáin IThird Age 2440Third Age 2589 †Ered MithrinHis reign came to a swift end when he was slain by a cold-drake before the entrance to his halls.
ThrórThird Age 2542Third Age 2790 †Ered Mithrin, Erebor, exile, DunlandHe led his people out of the Grey Mountains back to the Lonely Mountain. He had been King under the Mountain for more than 180 years when the dragon Smaug descended on the mountain and sacked it. He escaped the destruction, and went wandering in the wild before settling in Dunland. Later, he went to reclaim Khazad-dûm where he was murdered by Azog the Orc-chieftain, a crime that provoked the War of the Dwarves and Orcs.
Thráin IIThird Age 2644Third Age 2850 †Dunland, Ered LuinHe avenged his father's death with the defeat of Azog's Orcs at the Battle of Azanulbizar. In the early part of his reign, he dwelt in Dunland, but he later moved northwest to the Ered Luin west of Eriador and established a new realm. Before his reign ended, he resolved to return to Erebor, but while wandering in the wild he was captured in Third Age 2845 and died in the dungeons of the Necromancer. Consequently, the Ring of Thrór was lost to Sauron.
Thorin II OakenshieldThird Age 2746Third Age 2941 †Ered Luin, Erebor He ruled as King in the Ered Luin for many years, but like his father before him, he was determined to return to his ancient home of Erebor. Accompanied by Gandalf and Bilbo Baggins, he led a troop of companions into the east, and against all hope recovered the Lonely Mountain from Smaug. After Smaug's death, Thorin was slain in the Battle of Five Armies. The only remaining descendants of Thrór's line, Thorin's nephews Fíli and Kíli, were also lost in the battle. So the Kingship passed to the line of Grór, Thrór's younger brother; specifically, to his grandson Dáin II Ironfoot.
Dáin II IronfootThird Age 2767Third Age 3019 †Erebor Dáin was a descendant of Grór and lord of the Dwarves of the Iron Hills. Dáin joined his father's contingent in the Battle of Azanulbizar, at which time he slew Azog. After Thorin's death in the Battle of Five Armies, Dáin was crowned King of Durin's Folk. He ruled in prosperity as King under the Mountain for many years until the time of the War of the Ring. He was slain in the Battle of Dale.
Thorin III StonehelmThird Age 2866UnknownEreborThorin himself succeeded to the kingship when his father was killed during the War of the Ring in Third Age 3019. His realm was under the crown and protection of the new King of Gondor and Arnor. During his rule, Gimli led a number of Dwarves south to Aglarond, where a new lordship was established.
Durin VIIAfter Fourth Age 171
UnknownKhazad-dûmHe was the last of the reincarnations of Durin hence his title as "Durin the Last". He was a direct descendant of Thorin III Stonehelm. His birth was apparently prophesied upon the accession of Dáin II after the Battle of Five Armies. He led Durin's Folk back to Khazad-dûm at some unknown time after Fourth Age 171, where they remained "until the world grew old and the Dwarves failed and the days of Durin's race were ended".

Durin I died before the end of the First Age, so that between his rule and that of Thorin III, the Kings of Durin's line ruled for a period of about 6,500 years. Given that the average length of a reign among the Longbeards seems to have been roughly a century, it can be deduced that there were probably about fifty Kings that have went unmentioned.