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Castamir – Atta Yunquea Aran Ondonóreo (Castamir – the Twenty-second King of Gondor)
Castamir was the grandson of Calimehtar, the younger son of Calmacil, the eighteenth king of Gondor . Although not in a direct line to the throne he was an important prince and became the Captain of Ships of Gondor.
During the reign of king Valacar , rebellion brewed in Gondor, especially in the southern parts, because Valacar's wife had been Vidumavi, a princess from Rhovanion and not of Númenórean descent. It was unheard of for an heir to the throne to come from one of an alien and lesser race, as viewed by the Dúnedain, and many feared that her shorter lifespan would diminish the majesty of the Kings. Castamir joined the rebellion and being nearest in blood to the crown as well as having the greatest following (due to his support by the people of the coasts and havens of Pelargir and Umbar) he became its leader.
When Valacar's son king Eldacar ascended to the throne in T.A. 1432, full civil war broke out. Castamir led the rebel forces that besieged Eldacar in Osgiliath and forced the King to flee to his kinsfolk in Rhovanion. The nature of Castamir's character became apparent during the long siege for he not only caused slaughter and destruction in Osgiliath beyond the demands of war, he also had Ornendil, Eldacar's son, put to death when the city fell.
In Eldacar's absence, Castamir seized the throne. After having shown great cruelty during the war, he further alienated his subjects by being haughty and ungenerous. He also planned to remove the King's seat to Pelargir, a proposal that lowered Castamir in the eyes of the people of Minas Anor and Ithilien.
In the north, Eldacar forged an army composed of his kinsfolk, those Northmen who had been in the service of Gondor, and a growing number of disaffected Dúnedain from the northern parts of the realm. In T.A. 1447 Eldacar marched south and his army was augmented by folks from Calenardhon, Anórien, and Ithilien. Castamir's forces met Eldacar's army in Lebennin where the Battle of the Crossings of Erui was fought. Much of the best blood of Gondor was lost in the fray. Eldacar himself slew Castamir in the fight and thus reclaimed his Kingship.
However, Castamir's sons escaped from the battle and withdrew their father's forces into Pelargir. There they withstood a siege until they could sail away to Umbar. This city and haven became a lordship independent of Gondor and a refuge for all enemies of the realm, a threat that would last for centuries.pen and coloured pencils, A3 paper. 2017.

So here is Castamir, arguably the worst and certainly the only illegitimate king of Gondor. I originally didn't want to include him, as my pictures of the Kings of Gondor were conceived to be something of an official gallery of portraits of the kings of Gondor, where the Usurper doesn't quite fit. On the other hand, he did rule Gondor for ten years and he is such an interesting character, that omitting him would be a shame. And a poll confirmed this view, so I added him too (and it is his fault that I had to delay publishing the other kings until Castamir was ready. Filthy Usurper, shame on him! ).
For the look of Castamir, I had much clearer idea than with most of the ancient Gondorian kings. But I realized it is strongly influenced by another Usurper described by another Inkling writer: king Miraz of Narnia from Prince Caspian. To be precise, his depiction in the film. Or, to be even more precise, not just king Miraz himself, but something of a blend of him and his generals. I found this quite fitting, as the Telmarines from Narnia have a Mediterranean (I would say Spanish) look in the film and Castamir is associated with the southern coastal regions of Gondor. What do you think about it?
As for his outfit, it is mostly inspired by Byzantine Empire, though I wanted it to be of a slightly different style from the previous kings to emphasize his rejection of their line. There are also several items or elements evocative of pure Númenorean heritage: The pendant with the device of Idril used by Númenoreans, the pattern with the device of Eärendil, the inscription on the scabbard (by the way, can you read it? ). He is quite logically depicted as standing in the haven of Pelargir. The ship in the background is inspired by Byzantine navy, particularly dromons.
The ornamental border represents a strong break from the previous Northern-inspired tradition. It is more simple and austere, in its elements reminiscent of the Ship-kings, such as Tarannon Falastur (I imagine Castamir fancied himself as another Ship-king), including also the device of Eärendil in the corners. Lastly, the lines or stripes that delimit the basic shape of the border ornaments and that with all other kings are alternately gold and silver, here are painted in a sort of blackened gold, to signify his illegitimacy as a king.

I hope you like it and I will appreciate your comments!

Castamir's predecessor as well as successor on the throne:

For my portraits of earlier kings of Gondor, see the Early Kings of Gondor and the Ship-kings of Gondor

Description
Castamir – Atta Yunquea Aran Ondonóreo (Castamir – the Twenty-second King of Gondor)
Castamir was the grandson of Calimehtar, the younger son of Calmacil, the eighteenth king of Gondor . Although not in a direct line to the throne he was an important prince and became the Captain of Ships of Gondor.
During the reign of king Valacar , rebellion brewed in Gondor, especially in the southern parts, because Valacar's wife had been Vidumavi, a princess from Rhovanion and not of Númenórean descent. It was unheard of for an heir to the throne to come from one of an alien and lesser race, as viewed by the Dúnedain, and many feared that her shorter lifespan would diminish the majesty of the Kings. Castamir joined the rebellion and being nearest in blood to the crown as well as having the greatest following (due to his support by the people of the coasts and havens of Pelargir and Umbar) he became its leader.
When Valacar's son king Eldacar ascended to the throne in T.A. 1432, full civil war broke out. Castamir led the rebel forces that besieged Eldacar in Osgiliath and forced the King to flee to his kinsfolk in Rhovanion. The nature of Castamir's character became apparent during the long siege for he not only caused slaughter and destruction in Osgiliath beyond the demands of war, he also had Ornendil, Eldacar's son, put to death when the city fell.
In Eldacar's absence, Castamir seized the throne. After having shown great cruelty during the war, he further alienated his subjects by being haughty and ungenerous. He also planned to remove the King's seat to Pelargir, a proposal that lowered Castamir in the eyes of the people of Minas Anor and Ithilien.
In the north, Eldacar forged an army composed of his kinsfolk, those Northmen who had been in the service of Gondor, and a growing number of disaffected Dúnedain from the northern parts of the realm. In T.A. 1447 Eldacar marched south and his army was augmented by folks from Calenardhon, Anórien, and Ithilien. Castamir's forces met Eldacar's army in Lebennin where the Battle of the Crossings of Erui was fought. Much of the best blood of Gondor was lost in the fray. Eldacar himself slew Castamir in the fight and thus reclaimed his Kingship.
However, Castamir's sons escaped from the battle and withdrew their father's forces into Pelargir. There they withstood a siege until they could sail away to Umbar. This city and haven became a lordship independent of Gondor and a refuge for all enemies of the realm, a threat that would last for centuries.pen and coloured pencils, A3 paper. 2017.

So here is Castamir, arguably the worst and certainly the only illegitimate king of Gondor. I originally didn't want to include him, as my pictures of the Kings of Gondor were conceived to be something of an official gallery of portraits of the kings of Gondor, where the Usurper doesn't quite fit. On the other hand, he did rule Gondor for ten years and he is such an interesting character, that omitting him would be a shame. And a poll confirmed this view, so I added him too (and it is his fault that I had to delay publishing the other kings until Castamir was ready. Filthy Usurper, shame on him! ).
For the look of Castamir, I had much clearer idea than with most of the ancient Gondorian kings. But I realized it is strongly influenced by another Usurper described by another Inkling writer: king Miraz of Narnia from Prince Caspian. To be precise, his depiction in the film. Or, to be even more precise, not just king Miraz himself, but something of a blend of him and his generals. I found this quite fitting, as the Telmarines from Narnia have a Mediterranean (I would say Spanish) look in the film and Castamir is associated with the southern coastal regions of Gondor. What do you think about it?
As for his outfit, it is mostly inspired by Byzantine Empire, though I wanted it to be of a slightly different style from the previous kings to emphasize his rejection of their line. There are also several items or elements evocative of pure Númenorean heritage: The pendant with the device of Idril used by Númenoreans, the pattern with the device of Eärendil, the inscription on the scabbard (by the way, can you read it? ). He is quite logically depicted as standing in the haven of Pelargir. The ship in the background is inspired by Byzantine navy, particularly dromons.
The ornamental border represents a strong break from the previous Northern-inspired tradition. It is more simple and austere, in its elements reminiscent of the Ship-kings, such as Tarannon Falastur (I imagine Castamir fancied himself as another Ship-king), including also the device of Eärendil in the corners. Lastly, the lines or stripes that delimit the basic shape of the border ornaments and that with all other kings are alternately gold and silver, here are painted in a sort of blackened gold, to signify his illegitimacy as a king.

I hope you like it and I will appreciate your comments!

Castamir's predecessor as well as successor on the throne:

For my portraits of earlier kings of Gondor, see the Early Kings of Gondor and the Ship-kings of Gondor