The Hobbit: Was Thranduil A Good Monarch To His People?

gamerant.com:

Of all the characters that Peter Jackson changed and adapted for his movie trilogy of The Hobbit, King Thranduil of Mirkwood is possible the most hard-done-by in terms of how the director portrayed him. He is a very different character in Tolkien’s original books than he has come to be known as from the big screen versions, and the films certainly don't show him in a very flattering, nor a very kingly light. He is stubborn, cold, unforgiving, and often cruel, especially to his own son Legolas, and to Tauriel. It could be argued that even in the movies, he does try to keep his people out of harm's way, and that he only turns back from his greed and callousness once he sees the amount of elven blood that has been spilled in the Battle of the Five Armies, but even then, he doesn’t come out looking particularly good.

However, the books, both The Hobbit and the later Lord of the Rings trilogy, show Thranduil in a very different regard, and actually herald him as one of the better monarchs in Middle Earth history. There are so many nuances and motivations in his character that are completely warped in the films from the original content, and he is both a valiant warrior, a loyal friend and a great king in the books. Not only is he one of the best rulers, but he is also one of the longest-serving monarchs of the world, which means he must have been doing something right for his people to have revered him for so many centuries.

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One of the key things to note, that gets lost amidst the chaos and the ruckus of the dwarves journey through Lake Town, is that Thranduil has long-established a trade relationship with the people on the water and the kingdom of the dwarves from