Minas Tirith as Constantinople?

[Lindale]

Oh well. We can't really expect that Minas Tirith is to be a quasi-Constantinople or any other city right? That would've robbed the wonder of Tolkien, if he was a plain copycat. But as there is nothing new under the sun, and that in lit classes Tolkien is one of those writers who follow (whether they intend to or not) archetypes. And then notice the trends of socio-politics of cities, real ones and those that are fictional yet well-written: they follow patterns that are a little different and at the same time a lot different from one another.

Cheers from little Lindale.

[The Might]

I don't believe that using historical events as inspiration is being a copycat.
Is Tolkien then a copycat because when he speaks of the sinking of Numenor he clearly used the myth of Atlantis as inspiration? I doubt it.
And one must admit there are certain similarities between events happening in Middle-earth and historical events.

[The Sixth Wizard]

Well, I must say that Minas Tirith WAS (to my memory) quite a mixed bag of cultures, certainly more so than any of the other cities. Perhaps Eriador had more of a mix, but elf cities, dwarf dwellings, Rohan and Mirkwood kept to themselves mostly, whereas MT had all of the coastal regions coming and going, and many peoples seeking refuge there.

I think the Byzantine Empire's decline during the Dark Ages is the most similar to Gondor's decline than any other historical event, also the fact that they remained the most sophisticated and advanced than other cultures in many ways even when in decline. Their population suffered like Gondor's mainly because of plague, civil war and foreign mass invasions (say, the Wainriders).

I also find it interesting that in Middle Earth's First Age, evil came from the North, which correlates to Germanic invasions of Rome... likewise in the Second Age it was decay of society in Westernesse, like the fall of the Western Roman Empire, and in the Third Age it came from the East, which is where the Byzantine Empire was conquered from.

**Great Turkish Bombard = Grond**

Also, the main difference is that Vienna just like MT withstood the assault, while Constantinople did not.

Well, fair enough.

[Lindale]

I never said Tolkien was a copycat. But when you think of it, all stories at some point resemble one another. Ah well. We're all agreed that Tolkien conceptualized MT really well.

Nice analogies, I repeat, though

[William Cloud Hicklin]

I think Tolkien did in many respects think of MT in Byzantine terms, or rather as a Rome-Constantinople combo (he did once liken Elessar's coronation to the rise of a new Holy Roman Empire).

On the other hand, there's a parallel to Vienna, too- not only the HRE thing, but also the resemblance of the Pelennor Fields to the siege of Vienna in 1683, when the high-water mark of the Muslim assault on Europe was broken (in great part) by the charge of Jan Sobieski and his Polish knights.

[The Sixth Wizard]

I have heard that Aragorn is likened to a Scottish or English king, maybe Scandinavian, however I watched the television program so long ago, I can't remember many of the details. Does anyone know of similarities between Aragorn and any kings?

[Groin Redbeard]

Originally Posted by The Sixth Wizard

I have heard that Aragorn is likened to a Scottish or English king, maybe Scandinavian, however I watched the television program so long ago, I can't remember many of the details. Does anyone know of similarities between Aragorn and any kings?

Well one king comes to mind when I think of Aragorn: King Alfred The Great!
Alfred was a King who fiercly defended England from the invading Vikings led by their leader, Guthrum. He drove them out and ruled England with a just firm hand.

Alfred reminds me of how Aragorn ruled Gondor after the War of the Ring, but anything before that I'm lost.