Saruman

Saruman is a character from J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. He is a wizard sent as an emissary to Middle-earth to help deal with the menace posed by the evil lord Sauron. He is an essential antagonist in the Lord of the Rings eventually turning from his goodly allies and aiding Sauron in his search for the One Ring and fighting the free people of Middle-earth.

Five emissaries from the race of demigods known as the Maiar were sent to middle earth, and the oldest and wisest was Saruman, their leader. Though many characters in the story were directly corrupted by the One Ring, Saruman is the only one who chose an evil path with no outside influence. This was fueled by his belief that Sauron could not be fought successfully, but also by his own vanity. In a scene from the books that did not appear in the films, Saruman takes offense when Gandalf calls him Saruman the White, stating that he is now Saruman the Many-Colored.

• The Thain's Book: Saruman Important Dates

• Third Age 1000: Arrives in Middle-earth

• 2463: Chosen as the leader of the White Council

• 2759: Moves into Isengard

• 2851: Denies the return of Sauron | Searches for the One Ring for himself

• 2941: Agrees to attack Dol Guldur to keep Sauron from finding the Ring

• 2953: Last meeting of the White Council | Lies about the whereabouts of the Ring

• 2990: Begins crossbreeding Orcs and Men

• 3000: Uses the Palantir and is ensnared by Sauron

• 3014: Uses Grima Wormtongue to work magic over King Theoden

• 3018: Imprisons Gandalf

• February 25, 3019: Commands Orcs to attack the Rohirrim | Kills Theodred son of Theoden

• March 4, 3019: Forces defeated at The Battle of the Hornburg

• March 5, 3019: Cast out of the Order of Wizards by Gandalf | Imprisoned in Orthanc

• September 3019: Begins destroying the Shire

• November 3019: Grima Wormtongue murders him