Who Was the Best High King of the Noldor in Middle Earth?

 Who Was the Best High King of the Noldor in Middle Earth?

First let’s layout some rules:

• This analysis only accounts for the high kings who spent the majority of their rule in Middle Earth.  (Sorry Finwë and Finarfin fans!)

• Only things each character did during his time as high king will be accounted for (e.g. Turgon founding Gondolin beforehand doesn’t count towards his accomplishments as high king)

• Smaller Noldor kingdoms working together do not count as alliances (e.g. Gondolin, Nargothrond, Eregion, and Imladris are still technically under the High King’s jurisdiction)

• A “good” high king is determined by his contributions to the Noldor and ability to lead… away from chaos. 

Objectively, Gil-galad had the most successful reign. He led the Noldor during the defeats of both Morgoth and Sauron (Round 1). Gil-galad ruled for the longest period of time, had the greatest number of victories, formed one of the largest alliances, and maintained relative peace for almost the entire Second Age. As a result, Gil-galad was the best High King of the Noldor in Middle Earth. Fingolfin also had a very successful kingship with similar (though not as decided) statistics, coming in as a close second. 

Fëanor was probably the worst high king — he knowingly led the Noldor into exile and death, earned  them the title of kin-slayers, and ditched Fingolfin’s forces (his own people) to die.

Lastly, I think this post would be incomplete without an honorable mention of the best non-high-kings who did high king stuff: Elrond and Maedhros. During Gil-galad’s rule, Elrond served as his herald, commander, and vice-regent. After Gil-galad’s death, he led the remaining Noldor in peace for the entire Third Age, and probably would have been one of the best high kings had he not refused the title. Maedhros was not a good high-king, but an excellent advisor. He played a significant role in the Siege of Angband under Fingolfin and organized the Union of Maedhros during Fingon’s reign, two of the most important contributions to the Noldor during the First Age.