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Originally Posted by Faramir Jones
While I agree with your suggestion, Boromir88, that Saruman may have made an offer to Théoden early in the latter's reign, I disagree that it might have been in the way you describe. For example, any offer would have excluded the slightest bit of anti-Gondorian sentiment. We have to remember that not only were Gondor and Rohan close allies; Théoden was half-Gondorian due to his mother, and was himself born in Gondor. Also, Théoden appears to have been a genuinely much loved monarch, which suggests that he was one of genuine ability, perhaps able to detect something 'not right' in Saruman's offer, without actually believing in his treachery.
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To stir the pot a bit more, there's a bit from
Appendix A The House of Eorl that touches on Saruman's attitude toward Rohan before Théoden's time.
In the list of the Kings of Rohan, the entry for Thengel, Théoden's father, notes:
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It was soon after Thengel's return that Saruman declared himself openly Lord of Isengard and began to give trouble to Rohan, encroaching on its borders and supporting its enemies.
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So, one would think an offer from Saruman to Théoden through an emissary would have come prior to Théoden attaining the throne. What would the nature of an offer in that case have been?