The leaguer of the Noldor around the fortress of Morgoth that held for several centuries after the Return of the Noldor to Middle-earth in the First Age. The Siege was set after the Glorious Battle of Dagor Aglareb in I 60, and was broken in the terrible Dagor Bragollach in I 455. The Siege of Angband thus lasted a total of 395 years.

The Setting of the Siege

After the events of the Battle-under-Stars, it was clear to the Noldor that they could not hope the break down the defences of Angband immediately, but after that battle Morgoth remained quiet in the North for sixty years. Unknown to the Elves, during this time he was gradually marshalling his forces, until he was ready to unleash them suddenly upon the northern frontiers of Beleriand.

Fingolfin and Maedhros drove back the invasion and won a crushing victory in what became known as the Glorious Battle, but they also took the sudden assault as a warning. After their defeat of Morgoth's Orcs, they set a watchful siege on his fortress that would keep peace in the lands to the south for nearly four hundred years.

The Days of the Siege

Through the centuries that followed, the Siege held Morgoth contained, and the people of Beleriand were able to live in relative peace. However, the geography of the lands around Angband, and especially the Iron Mountains, meant that the besiegers could not completely surround Morgoth's stronghold. At times, raiding bands of Orcs would take the long but unwatched northern route. It was said that Morgoth himself even departed from Angband for a time during the Siege, finding his way to the newly-awakened Men in the distant East, and casting his Shadow over them.

Morgoth's first major attempt to break the Siege came a century after it had been set up, when an army of Orcs took the northward route, then travelled west, and so down the coast in an attempt to break into Hithlum. These Orcs were driven into the Sea by Elves led by Fingon. Another century passed, and a new danger emerged: the young Dragon Glaurung ravaged the lands, but again Fingon and his Elves were able to drive the Dragon back. After this failure, Morgoth remained quiet for nearly two hundred years, a period known as the Long Peace.

The End of the Siege

Despite the long years of peace, there were some among the Noldor who feared that eventually Morgoth would strike yet again, and that it would be wise for the Elves to make their own assault against Angband. In the event, they had no opportunity to do so, because Morgoth acted without warning. On a winter's night in the year I 455, the silent and dark Iron Mountains of the North burst suddenly into flame, and fires rolled out across the plain of Ard-galen. Multitudes of Orcs emerged from the depths of Angband, led through the fire and dust by Balrogs. So the Siege of Angband was broken, and the defences of the Elves were left in ruins.

This disastrous attack became known as the Dagor Bragollach, the Battle of Sudden Flame that brought the Long Peace to an end. King Fingolfin, driven to despair by the breaking of the Siege, rode out to challenge Morgoth to single combat, and was slain. After the night of sudden flame, the fighting continued for months, and saw many of the princes of the Eldar slain or put to flight. The kingdom of the Elves in Hithlum survived, but the Sons of Fëanor were driven back from the March of Maedhros and were scattered across Beleriand.

The failure of the Siege of Angband marked a turning point in the history of the Wars of Beleriand. Before the Battle of Sudden Flame, Morgoth had been held in a defensive position for centuries, but now he began to claim lands that Elves and Men had formerly held. The woodlands of Dorthonion were rapidly taken, and the Pass of Sirion was captured by Sauron - at that time a lieutenant of Morgoth - soon afterward.

The Eldar and Edain rallied their forces and planned a counterattack of their own, seeking to reverse Morgoth's gains. In I 472, seventeen years after the breaking of the Siege, they gathered an immense force ready for an assault on Angband itself. Through trickery and betrayal, Morgoth was able to divide and confuse this great army, leading to the Unnumbered Tears of the Nirnaeth Arnoediad. The forces of the Elves and Edain were shattered, and from this time onward, Morgoth was able to extend his power across Beleriand, going on to destroy the last cities and strongholds of the Elves and coming close to absolute victory.