The only direct historical reference to the King's Company is in Théoden's time, but an equivalent company of household guards seems to date back at least as far as Théoden's great-grandfather Folcwine. We have records of Folcwine reorganising the military forces of Rohan, and those records specifically mention Riders of the King's Household, who would have been the King's Company or their direct forerunners. Before Folcwine's time, the Kings of Rohan must surely have maintained a dedicated guard, but it's unclear whether those earlier companies could be directly compared with the King's Company of the late Third Age. |