Quote:
Originally Posted by Faramir Jones
In Unfinished Tales, in the essay 'The Battles of the Fords of Isen', it is stated that Théoden's health 'began to fail...early in the year 3014', when he was 66.
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Thanks for that. I should have guessed it would be there.
In regards to Denethor and Saruman's relations with Gondor late in the Third Age
Unfinished Tales contains the following remark regarding Denethor's use of the Anor-stone:
"Whether he ever thus made contact with the Orthanc-stone and Saruman is not told; probably he did, and did so with profit to himself." Note that when Gandalf and Pippin arrived at Minas Tirith, Denethor already knew that Saruman had been defeated: "I know already sufficient of these deeds for my own counsel against the menace of the East." On a related note, Thorongil had warned Ecthelion II "not to put trust in Saruman the White in Isengard."
This suggests to me that there was probably still some kind of established relationship between Gondor and Saruman during the stewardship of Ecthelion despite Saruman claiming Isengard for his own. Perhaps the rising threat of Mordor caused Gondor to become increasingly unconcerned with goings-on in the West. Denethor certainly seems to have considered Saruman's downfall to be only relevant insofar as it affected his struggle (one Denethor seems to have regarded rather personally) against Sauron.
Perhaps Saruman was in a position to communicate with Gondor and Rohan early in the periods of Denethor and Théoden but such a relationship failed or ceased to be taken advantage of relatively quickly.