Denethor II was the final
Steward of Gondor, ruling during the
War of the Ring and the
Return of the King at the end of the
Third Age. His eldest son,
Boromir, was returning to
Minas Tirith with the
Company of the Ring when killed by
orcs at
Amon Hen.
Meanwhile, Denethor had secretly fallen under the influence of
Sauron via a
Palantír ("
Stone of Seeing") in the tower of
Minas Tirith. While the city was under
siege, Denethor attempted to burn himself, the Palantír Stone, and his surviving son,
Faramir, alive. Faramir was saved, but Denethor was
slain and the Palantír rendered useless.
After Denethor's suicide, the siege was broken and
Elessar became
King, relieving the
Stewards and initiating a
renaissance in
Gondor.
J.R.R. Tolkien Node