The Historical past of the Insurrection That Almost Broke Home Targaryen

Within the centuries that the Targaryens ruled over Westeros, the household discovered themselves dealing with loads of existential crises. From the Dance of Dragons to Robert’s Insurrection, Home Targaryen’s dynasty could possibly be outlined by strife as a lot because it might by the methods it dramatically remodeled life in Westeros. However this week, Knight of the Seven Kingdoms visited the aftermath of one other such disaster—one that may plague the Targaryens for generations to come back.

This week’s penultimate episode of Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is primarily informed in flashbacks as Dunk’s Trial of Seven begins and the Hedge Knight displays on the occasions that introduced him right into a struggle for his life. As small as his function within the aftermath of all of it is, nevertheless, these occasions have lasting ramifications for the broader seven kingdoms: as a result of the Blackfyre Insurrection, as it might come to be recognized, would proceed to be a thorn within the aspect of Home Targaryen for many years after.

The Rise of the Blackfyres

The person who would come to be referred to as Daemon Blackfyre was the product of a sequence of very unhealthy choices by probably the most notorious Targaryens to rule Westeros: Aegon IV Targaryen, referred to as Aegon the Unworthy. Daemon, born Daemon Waters, was a bastard of then-Prince Aegon and his cousin Princess Daena, and from the second he was born, he brought on strife for the Targaryen dynasty.

The revelation of his beginning—after King Baelor I Targaryen annulled his marriage to his sister-wife Daena and tried to maintain her and his sisters locked away to keep away from them tempting members of his courts—led to King Baelor fasting himself to loss of life, making a speedy chain of succession that noticed Baelor’s successor, Viserys II Targaryen, ascend to the throne and rule for only a 12 months earlier than all of a sudden dying, leaving Prince Aegon to take his place as Aegon IV.

Aegon the Unworthy’s rule grew to become outlined by rank corruption and outlandish makes an attempt to consolidate his energy, a lot to the frustration of his eldest trueborn son, Prince Daeron, who typically clashed along with his father. This led to an more and more public discontent between father and son, amplified by Aegon brazenly acknowledging his parentage to a number of bastard kids. That features Daemon, who was knighted and given the sword of Aegon the Conqueror, Blackfyre, at a squire’s tourney in 182 AC, resulting in him taking the sword’s identify as his personal.

To make issues worse, on his deathbed just a few years later, Aegon IV legitimized all of his bastards, throwing the road of succession into chaos. That didn’t cease Prince Daeron from assuming the throne as Daeron II Targaryen in 184 AC, however Daeron’s rule, whereas ultimately referred to as an excellent one, was not a universally common one. His transfer to undo the corruption of his father all through the court docket and in King’s Touchdown at giant created discontent among the many figures Daeron II ousted, and that discontent was solely strengthened by pushback to Daeron II’s negotiations to efficiently convey Dorne into the rule of Westeros.

Dorne’s becoming a member of into what would now turn out to be the seven kingdoms of Westeros noticed the area maintain rising affect in Daeron II’s court docket and noticed Daeron II himself and his youthful sister, Princess Daenerys, married into the Dornish ruling household, Home Martell—angering courtiers sufficiently old to recollect when Dorne was a mortal enemy of the crown. That rising discontent with Daeron II’s perceived acquiescence to Dorne, in addition to questions of his personal legitimacy due to the chaos brought on by Aegon IV, noticed increasingly folks ponder a rival to Daeron II’s throne… primarily, Daemon Blackfyre himself, due to his legitimization on his father’s deathbed.

The First Insurrection

Daemon launched what would turn out to be referred to as the primary of the Blackfyre Rebellions in 196 AC, after over a decade of resentment over his standing as Aegon IV’s bastard and Daeron II’s rule. Whereas little is understood about a lot of the rebel, which lasted for only a 12 months, it’s recognized that Daemon rallied a lot of his help in Westeros from across the realms of the border lords as a consequence of their resentment of Dorne and that he ultimately marshaled sufficient forces to mint his personal coinage.

The Blackfyre Insurrection got here to a bloody finish within the Battle of the Redgrass Area. Coming into the battle, Daemon was believed to be on the precipice of victory, with King’s Touchdown there for the taking if he succeeded. Though Daemon had the higher hand within the opening of the battle, having efficiently damaged the protection strains of Daeron II’s vanguard and even dueling Ser Gwayne Corbray of Daeron II’s Kingsguard off of the sphere, issues turned in opposition to Daemon when the loyalist Brynden Rivers and his archers efficiently took a close-by ridge overlooking the sphere and blanketed Daemon’s forces with arrows.

Daemon was the primary to fall underneath the volleys of Rivers’ males, adopted by two of his sons, Aegon and Aemon Blackfyre, shortly after. Aegor “Bittersteel” Rivers, one other of Aegon IV’s bastard kids and certainly one of Daemon Blackfyre’s strongest supporters, tried to cost Brynden’s place, however he fled the sphere after Daeron II’s forces have been replenished with the arrival of Daeron II’s sons, princes Baelor and Maekar, who earned themselves the nickname “the Hammer and the Anvil” for his or her efficient pincering of Daemon’s remaining forces.

The Pretenders

With over 10,000 lifeless on the Battle of the Redgrass Area, the Blackfyre Insurrection got here to an finish, nevertheless it wasn’t quashed completely. Daeron II’s harsh punishment of Daemon’s surviving supporters brought on lingering resentments all through the land, and Aegor Rivers’ profitable escape noticed him take Daemon’s spouse, Calla Blackfyre, in addition to her surviving sons, to Tyrosh, retaining Home Blackfyre alive to contest the throne in exile.

Over the following 60 years, a number of descendants and supporters of Daemon Blackfyre tried to launch 4 additional rebellions in opposition to Home Targaryen. The second Blackfyre Insurrection in 212 AC—a possibility that arose due to extreme disruption to the Targaryen line of succession within the wake of a devastating plague referred to as the Nice Spring Illness—got here to an finish earlier than it might start in earnest, due to the efforts of the now Hand of the King to Aerys I Targaryen, Brynden Rivers.

The third Blackfyre Insurrection, seven years later, noticed to the loss of life of Daemon’s fourth son, Haegon Blackfyre, whereas the fourth Blackfyre Insurrection in 236 AC noticed Haegon’s personal son, Daemon III Blackfyre, fall to the forces of Aegon V Targaryen, with Daemon III slain by certainly one of Aegon V’s kingsguard… Ser Duncan the Tall. Perhaps you’ve heard of him!

The Legacy of the Blackfyre Rebellions

The Blackfyre Rebellions got here to an finish for good with one closing battle over 20 years later. Often known as the Battle of the Ninepenny Kings, it noticed the ultimate male inheritor of the Blackfyre line, Maelys the Monstrous, killed by Ser Barristan Selmy in single fight after Maelys’ forces had managed to take management of Tyrosh and the Stepstones main in the direction of the Westerosi mainland in a closing try and take management of the seven kingdoms.

With the Blackfyres extinguished, peace got here to Westeros for some time, however the Targaryen line wouldn’t endure a lot additional despite surviving the Blackfyre risk. Simply one other 20 years after the Battle of the Ninepenny Kings, Robert Baratheon led a rebel in opposition to the mad king Aerys II Targaryen, efficiently sacking King’s Touchdown and disposing of Targaryen rule for the primary time in nearly 300 years. Whereas Home Targaryen had been diminishing for generations prior after the loss of life of its dragons, it’s not outlandish to say that, even in victory, the royal home was chipped away little by little by the Blackfyres’ numerous makes an attempt to usurp them, setting the stage for Robert’s profitable defeat.

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