#Defenestration of Sunspear

[sebeth]

TWOIAF/Fire & Blood: The Beginning of the Dornish War

Warning, Spoilers Ahead…

 Aegon Targaryen has one more item to mark off his conquering checklist: Dorne.

Aegon tries a soft approach for nearly a year: he sent septons, maesters, and high lords to treat with Princess Meria Martell. She wasn’t interested. In 4 AC, the first Dornish War begun.

Rhaenys descended unto Planky Town and set the floating town ablaze. Meanwhile, Orys Baratheon led a thousand knights up the Boneway while Aegon marched through the Prince’s Pass with an army of 30,000. Lord Harlan Tyrell, Warden of the South, accompanied Aegon’s Army.

No word on Visenya – she must have stayed behind to govern the realm. Personally, I would have switched Rhaenys for Visenya.  No offense to Rhaenys – she’s a skilled dragonrider and participated in the Field of Fire and the Last Storm, so she has the Targaryen ruthlessness in her but her strengths seemed to be in the diplomatic/”soft power” areas and Visenya is the more vicious, highly skilled warrior. Was this personal for Rhaenys? Did she feel she failed in her initial visit to Dorne while her siblings/spouses succeeded in their visits to Westeros? Was this return to Dorne a chance to redeem herself?

Aegon’s armies marched into Dorne and found the watchtowers deserted, the fields burned, the livestock destroyed, and the wells poisoned. His forces were running short of food well before they reached the Dornish sands.

The Dornish are vicious – even to themselves. They are destroying their own lands to repel invaders but it’s at a great cost to themselves – Dorne isn’t known for its vast resources.

Thus begins a pattern of invade-retreat-guerrilla warfare-war crimes that would last for the next nine years!

A few highlights (lowlights?) of round one (4 AC to 6 AC) of the near-decade long war:

·         Lord Tyrell lost a quarter of his men and almost all his horses to the Dornish sands

·         Orys Baratheon’s forces were wiped out except for a dozen lords and himself – they became captives of the “Widow-lover” Wyl of Wyl

·         Rhaenys took Lemonwood, Spottswood, and Stinkwater but only found old women and children

·         Aegon took Skyreach, Yronwood, and the Tor; he also engaged in a one on one duel with the Champion of Ghost Hill only to discover it was Lord Toland’s fool

·         Aegon and Rhaenys descended on Sunspear only to discover no one was home – Aegon declared victory by default.

·         Aegon offered rewards for the heads of the missing Dornish lords and ladies; he also named castellans and stewards for the newly won Dornish castles – the most important nomination being the naming of Lord Rosby as the Castellan of Sunspear and Warden of the Sands

·         Aegon then gave the “good job, team. Let’s go home” speech and he and his forces returned to King’s Landing

·         The missing Dornish returned with a vengeance as soon as the Targaryen forces left Dorne

·         The Dornish recaptured their castle within a fortnight and slaughtered the royal garrisons.

·         Stewards and castellans were “allowed to die only after a long torment. It was said that the Dornish lords had a wager over who could keep their captives alive the longest while dismembering them.”

·         Lord Rosby was dragged to the top of the Spear Tower and then thrown from a window by Princess Meria Martell.

·         King Aegon had left Lord Tyrell and his forces to hold Hellholt and he had to deal with constant attacks from House Qorgyle of Sandstone and House Vaith of Vaith.

·         Lord Tyrell gathered his forces to march on Sunspear once he learned of Lord Rosby’s defenestration of Sunpear.  Somewhere east of Hellholt, Lord Tyrell and his entire army disappeared.

Aegon had his brother/best friend/Hand of the King taken hostage, his Warden of the South killed, a lord of the Crownlands executed, and lost thousands of men in the attack. Meria had multiple towns burned and lost hundreds/thousands of Dornish lives. Do Aegon and Meria attempt to make a compromise? No! The degenerate into “an endless bloody series of atrocities, raids, and retaliations, broken up by long periods of inactivity, a dozen short truces, and numerous murders and assassinations.

More year-by-year lowlights:

7 AC:

·         Orys Baratheon and the other captive lords were returned after being ransomed for their weight in gold. The Widow-lover lopped off each man’s sword hand before releasing his hostages. King Aegon retaliated by unleashing Balerion on the mountain fortresses of the Wyls. I wonder if Argella Durandon missed her husband while he was held captive or if it was more of a case “hope he’s dead”?

8 AC:

·         Dornish raiders attack towns and villages along the south shore of Cape Wrath, and set fires through half the rainwood.

·         Visenya Targaryen burns Lemonwood, Ghost Hill, and the Tor.

9 AC:

·         Visenya and Aegon return to Dorne and burn Sandstone, Vaith, and the Hellholt.

10 AC

·         Lord Fowler of Dorne leads and army through the Prince’s Pass and into the Reach, capturing Nightsong and burning a dozen villages. Lord ManfredHightower sent his son Addam with a strong force to retake Nightsong,

·         A second Dornish army under Ser Joffrey Dayne attacked Oldtown. The Dornish were unable to take Oldtown but burned fields, farms, and villages for twenty leagues around the city. Joffrey Dayne kills Garmon Hightower, Lord Hightower’s younger son.

·         Ser Addam Hightower reached Nightsong only to discover that Lord Fowler had torched the castle and executed the garrison. Lord Caron, his wife, and children were taken back to Dorne as captives.

·         Addam returned to Oldtown to relieve the city but the Dornish had retreated to Dorne.

·         Lord Manfred Hightower dies and Addam succeeds him as the Lord of Oldtown.

·         Aegon approaches Theo Tyrell over a 2nd Dornish invasion but he is hesitant considering the fate of his father in the previous war.

·         The three Targaryens unleash their dragons on Dorne: Aegon attacked Skyreach “vowing to make the Fowler seat a second Harrenhal”, Visenya brought fire and blood to Starfall, and Rhaenys returned to Hellholt only for Meraxes to be shot down by a scorpion bolt. Rhaneys and Meraxes die on impact. The three Targaryens unleashed their dragons on Dorne: Aegon attacked Skyreach “vowing to make the Fowler seat a second Harrenhal”, Visenya brought fire and blood to Starfall, and Rhaenys returned to Hellholt only for Meraxes to be shot down by a scorpion bolt.

·         Meraxes died shortly after impact but no one knows the exact time of Rhaeny’s death: “Some say she lost her seat and fell to her death, others that she was crushed beneath Meraxes in the castle yard. A few accounts claim the queen survived her dragon’s fall, only to die a slow death by torment in the dungeons of the Ullers.” I hope for Rhaenys’s sake that she died upon/shortly after attack because life under Dornish captors would make life under Ramsay Bolton look pleasant.

Three more years into this stupid war and what has Aegon or Meria gained? Nothing beneficial! More destruction of towns and farms on both sides. The Caron family has been taken captive/killed, and the Hightowers lost a father and a son. On a personal level, Aegon and Visenya lost their sister-wife and had a brother mutilated. Aenys lost his mother at three-years old! All this violence and bloodshed because of two vindictive egos!

Up next, the Dragon’s Wroth, the atrocities continue, and a tenuous cease-fire.

[arwyd]

there’s a lot of Dornish Discourse™ these days, somehow none of it concerning The Defenestration of Sunspear, which is arguably one of the most badass things to have ever occurred

[twoiafart]

The Defenestration of Sunspear Artwork by Ertaç Altinöz

When Aegon reached Sunspear, it was to find Queen Rhaenys already there—after she, too, had discovered several Dornish castles abandoned along the way. The shadow town was half empty, and Sunspear itself was abandoned by all but the servants. Even the aged Meria Martell was gone. Despite this, Aegon declared victory. He installed Lord Jon Rosby as the Castellan of Sunspear and Warden of the Sands, ordered Lord Tyrell to put down any resistance, and departed through the Prince’s Pass.

In the wake of their departure, the Dornish rose up in rebellion, taking back the castles that Aegon and his sisters had conquered and slaughtering the garrisons. Meria Martell reappeared from hiding and—in an act that would later be called the Defenestration of Sunspear—tossed Lord Rosby out of the highest window of the Spear Tower. As for Lord Harlan Tyrell, he and his host were never seen again after they marched into the desert in an attempt to conquer Vaith.

[aegor-bamfsteel]

I’m confused by Ghaston Grey: why don’t the Dornish lords send their criminals to the Nights Watch (like everyone else), and gift the island to a grateful vassal and allow them to build a new castle there? Wouldn’t using the island in that sense be more useful to House Martell, as a whole?

Unlike Dragonstone and Queenscrown, which have whole chapters about their assets/disadvantages, what we know about Ghaston Grey takes up one sentence: “…a crumbling old castle perched on a rock in the Sea of Dorne, a drear and dreadful prison where the vilest of criminals were sent to rot and die.” (AFFC The Princess in the Tower) So Medieval Home and Gardening: Ghaston Grey edition will be short.

That Arianne refers to it as a rock in the sea may mean that like Bishop Rock (skerry where convicted felons were sent to drown) or even the infamous island prison Alcatraz, it is too small and too inhospitable to support anything other than the prison. Possibly no plants grow there unless introduced due to the soil and climate (although not part of the Stepstones, the way the islands are described makes me think Ghaston Grey has a similar climate and soil type), which would have to be sent there at cost.

Then there’s the location: the Sea of Dorne is bordered by the Stormlands to the North and the Stepstones to the East. The Stormlands were perennial enemies of the Dornish until recently, with their side of the sea of Dorne heavily fortified with fleets, and Stepstones pirates—known for raiding and enslaving the Stormland isles—have gone to that sea for war purposes (to ferry Dornish raiders to the Stormlands). Certainly a strategic area for a lighthouse/watchtower, though obviously dangerous. It’s easy to imagine some of the criminals sent to Ghaston Grey were leaders of Stormland or Stepstone raids (or rebels too dangerous to be sent to the Wall, unlike the 6 kings facing Nymeria); Arianne insinuates to Cedra that being able to see freedom/home but not achieve it could drive the criminals mad within a year (similar to how the Alcatraz prisoners considered hearing the noise from San Francisco but unable to join psychological punishment). The island is probably too small and not fertile enough to support any fleet, so using its location as punishment for criminals could be the more pragmatic option.

Then there’s the fact that the Dornish are not a seafaring people, dating back to Nymeria burning the ships, and often have to rely on Essosi fleets for defense or attack (the Stepstone Pirates, the Lyseni fleet). The Orphans of the Greenblood are skilled river travelers, but Ghaston Grey is on the open sea. Tarth, Estermont, and Cape Wrath have fleets, and those of Stepstones are famous seafarers, but Wyl, Yronwood and even Toland don’t really have a corresponding seafaring tradition (Ghost Hill at least seems to have a port, but no fleet is mentioned). Most communication to and from Ghaston Grey must come by sea, and there’s not likely to be many Dornish eager to go through all that sea travel to govern…a tiny, barren rock surrounded by traditional enemies and pirates. If the Martells were to give Ghaston Grey to someone, it’d probably be seen as a backhanded “gift” considering its many disadvantages.

Dornish lords tend imprison their external enemies rather than executing them (ex: Lord Wyl imprisoned Aemon and Baelor Targaryen, Widowlover Wyl captured Orys Baratheon, the potential imprisonment of Rhaenys at Hellholt, the Defenestration of Sunspear was the exception as most of Aegon’s castellans were imprisoned and tortured), whereas sending men to the Wall seems reserved for certain defeated Dornishmen (not traitors) so it makes sense for House Martell to have a prison (as the Ullers have Hellholt and the Wyls have Wyl) to keep those important/criminal enough to not want to kill immediately. Ghaston Grey is likely too small, too isolated, too barren, and in too much of a dangerous location for anything else other than the prison. Trying to fix it up seems to be more costly than any potential benefits.

[soon-to-be-archmaester]

FIRE & BLOOD SPOILERS 🐉

The maesters of the Citadel who keep the histories of Westeros have used Aegon’s Conquest as their touchstone for the past three hundred years. Births, deaths, battles, and other events are dated either AC ( After the Conquest ) or BC ( Before the Conquest )

Year 1 After the Conquest :

1 AC is the first year of the reign of King Aegon I Targaryen, starting on the day Aegon was crowned in Oldtown. Aegon's coronation at Oldtown is used by maesters to date the Westerosi calendar. The start of Aegon's reign was preceded by Aegon's Conquest, a war lasting two years. We also see the Three Sisters tried take advantage of the chaos caused by the Conquest and declared themselves independent. The secession was quickly stopped by Queen Visenya Targaryen, using her dragon and an army of northmen.

Year 2 After the Conquest :

In 2 AC King Aegon I Targaryen descended on the Iron Islands with Balerion in order to put and end to the civil war that has erupted after Harren Hoare's death during the Conquest. The main claimant, Qhorin Volmark, was slain by Aegon with Blackfyre, and the priest-king Lodos drowned himself after his prayers to the Drowned God went unanswered. Afterwards, Aegon allowed the ironborn to elect their own leader, and Lord Vickon Greyjoy was chosen as Lord of the Iron Islands.

Year 4 After the Conquest :

4 AC was the beginning of the First Dornish War, with a Targaryen full-fledged attempt to invade Dorne. Queen Rhaenys Targaryen attacked the Planky Town from the air with Meraxes, while King Aegon I Targaryen marched through the Prince's Pass and Lord Orys Baratheon descended through the Boneway. Although Orys was ambushed and captured by the Wyl of Wyl, most of the Dornish prefer to avoid confrontation and abandon their strongholds rather than face the invading armies. After capturing a few castles, Aegon took Sunspear and declared the Conquest of Dorne concluded.

Year 5 After the Conquest :

In 5 AC the Dornish War went on with renewed fierceness. Taking advantage of the fact that Aegon and Balerion had returned to King's Landing, hordes of Dornish spearmen emerged from hiding and recaptured the castles they had lost, killing the garrisons and the castellans. Lord Rosby was thrown by Meria Martell from the top of the Spear Tower in what would be known as the Defenestration of Sunspear, and Harlan Tyrell and his entire army disappeared amidst the red sands, somewhere at the east of Hellholt. Year 5 AC is also notable for the creation of the office of Grand Maester, after King Aegon requested the Citadel to send him one of their own to advise him.

Year 7 After the Conquest :

Prince Aenys Targaryen is born to King Aegon I Targaryen and Queen Rhaenys Targaryen.

Year 9 After the Conquest :

In 9 AC, lord Alton Celtigar became the third Hand of the King after the resignation of lord Edmyn Tully. In Dorne, the war continued with Aegon and Visenya burnings of castles with their dragons.

Year 10 After the Conquest :

In 10 AC the Dornish War took a darker turn when Rhaenys and her dragon Meraxes were shot down by a scorpion at Hellholt. This would begin a period of indiscriminate revenges, and the war escalated to a series of castle burnings and targeted murders of nobles known as the Dragon's Wroth. After a failed attempt on Aegon, Visenya convinced him to establish a body of seven sworn bodyguards that would be named the Kingsguard.

[izvozvi]

in what came to be known as the defenestration of sunspear.

— the world of ice and fire

asoiaf meme: scenes | defenestration of sunspear

[tethys-the-aquatic-sea-godness]

House Nymeros Martell: Meria

When Aegon I Targaryen sent ravens to all the rulers of Westeros, demanding that they yield to him as sole king in Westeros and be rewarded or be destroyed, Meria replied she would be his ally against the Storm King - but would not yield.

When Rhaenys Targaryen led the invasion to Dorne during the War of Conquest, the Dornish refused to give battle. Instead, they launched guerilla raids on Rhaenys's forces, then melted away into the mountains and deserts, and returned only to launch guerilla raids on the army anew. After taking the Dornish keeps, Rhaenys would find them empty, except for women and children. When she would ask where the men had gone to, the Dornish would just reply "away". Rhaenys flew on her dragon to Sunspear and met Princess Meria alone there. Rhaenys demanded the surrender of Dorne, but Meria instead replied that Dorne would never surrender. The Targaryen army then withdrew from Dorne, leaving the country untaken.

While Dorne had remained unconquered during the Conquest, Aegon I did not forget. In 4 AC, he launched a new campaign against Dorne, one that would last for many years. During this First Dornish War, instead of remaining at Sunspear, Meria, along with all the other Dornish lords, fled their castles, simply yielding them up. It did not take long for the Targaryen forces to reach Sunspear, find it empty, and declare themselves the victors. Lord Rosby was installed as the castellan and Warden of the Sands, Harlan Tyrell was put in charge of putting down any revolts, and so the Targaryens left Dorne and returned to King's Landing.

The Dornishmen had not surrendered, however. They swarmed from the shadow city and retook the castle, and once Lord Rosby was bound hand and foot, he was dragged to the top of the Spear Tower. Princess Meria herself threw him from the window in the Defenestration of Sunspear. In an attempt to retake Sunspear from Meria and her forces, Harlan Tyrell set out from Hellholt to take the Vaith and then Sunspear, but he vanished in the Dornish deserts, never to be found again.

The war in Dorne continued, and Meria eventually passed away, in 13 AC, upon which her son, Prince Nymor, took over, and immediately started negotiating peace.

[navree]

first dornish war: the main players

aegon targaryen - king of the seven kingdoms, survived

rhaenys targaryen - queen of the seven kingdoms, died alongside her dragon meraxes

visenya targaryen - queen of the seven kingdoms, survived

orys baratheon - hand of the king, resigned after his hand was cut off by dornish captors

harlen tyrell - lord of highgarden, vanished along with his army in dorne

jon rosby - warden of the sands, died in the defenestration of sunspear

meria martell - princess of dorne, died of natural causes during the war

nymor martell - prince of dorne, survived

deria martell - lady of sunspear, survived and brokered peace

[sebeth]

Aegon I’s Non-Warfare Accomplishments

Warning, Spoilers Ahead…

  I left off with the end of the first Dornish War.  Aegon’s accomplishments include things besides conquests, warfare, and blood feuds.

Before I cover the non-violent accomplishments, I should mention the new pieces of art from The Rise of the Dragons:

·         An eerie piece of Aegon I sitting the Iron Throne

·         Lodos and his followers committing mass suicide by drowning – Lodos appears very Jesus-like – long brown hair, beard, crown of thorns (driftwood), etc

·         The defenestration of Sunspear

·         The attack on Oldtown by the Dornish

·         Deria brings Prince Nymor’s letter

·         Lord Edmyn Tully of Riverrun

·         Aegon I’s court which is apparently outside, by a tree, with Balerion lounging nearby. I can identify Aegon, a Kingsguard, a Targaryen guard, and a master. The others appear to be two opposing sides of a dispute.

·         The original Kingsguard

Rise of the Dragons explained why Aegon can refer to himself as the King of the Seven Kingdoms despite never conquering Dorne: Aegon split the Riverlands apart from the Iron Island, thus creating the Seven Kingdoms.

The highlights of the early years of the Dragon’s Governance included:

·         Encouraging the nobility to send their children to King’s Landing to serve as pages and handmaids (building bonds or handy hostages, you be the judge)

·         Brokering marriage bonds between noble houses to create connections between distant regions – a few of the notable marriages were: Lord Ronnel Arryn wed a daughter of Lord Torrhen Stark (I feel Visenya offered her input on this particular marriage), Loren Lannister’s eldest son married a Redwyne girl from the Arbor, and the Evenstar of Tarth’s triplets were betrothed to House Corbray, House Hightower, and House Harlaw. Queen Visenya brokered a double marriage between Houses Bracken and Blackwood in attempt to end the long-standing feud between the two families (spoiler alert: it didn’t work).

·         Regular royal progresses – Aegon spent half his reign travelling the realm, a quarter of it in Dragonstone, and the remaining quarter in King’s Landing. He made repeated visits to Gulltown, the Eyrie, Harrenhal, Riverrun, Lannisport, Casterly Rock, Crakehall, Old Oak, Highgarden, Oldtown, the Arbor, Horn Hill, Ashford, Storm’s End, and Evenfall Hall. He visited the Iron Islands three times (twice to Pyke, and once to Great Wyk) and the North six times (thrice in White Harbor, twice at Barrowtown, and once at Winterfell. His last progress was in 33 AC.

·         Aegon referenced local laws while making judgements on his travels

·         The first new law was the King’s Peace – no private wars between noblemen

·         He standardized customs, duties, and taxes so no port of person had more favorable terms than the other

·         He exempted the septs, septries, and the Faith of the Seven from taxation in order to get on the Faith’s good side

Aegon’s queens had accomplishments too. They even ruled from the Iron Throne while Aegon was on progress.

Rhaenys:

·         Filled the court with singers and bards and was a friend to women and children.

·         Determined that a husband would only hit his wife six times, as the seventh would be for the Stranger, who is death.  Rhaenys made the judgement as the Faith stated it was proper for a husband to chastise his wife. Rhaenys is clearly no Alysanne, who was willing to fight everyone (her husband/king, the small council, all noble lords, and the old gods) to eliminate the right of the “first night”. And Alysanne accepted no compromise!

Visenya:

·         She was sterner and less well-loved – “a warrior and an alleged dabbler in poisons and dark arts” – poor Visenya, someone has to keep the circus running while Aegon runs around as “the savior of the world” while ignoring threats to his life and Rhaneys is flirting with the singers and the pretty boys

·         Had her own personal fool – Lord Monkeyface.

·         She creates the Kingsguard in 10 AC – the same year that Rhaenys dies in Dorne. Was it the death of her sister that caused her to finally overrule Aegon’s disregard for the threats to his life? She had lost one sibling and wasn’t willing to lose another?

·         She was very specific on the requirements of the Kingsgaurd, creating the vows, uniforms, and standards of the institution. She also handpicked the initial seven knights and created the White Book.

·         Very protective of her brother and urged him to be more strident in his protection: “Even with Blackfyre in your hand, you are only one man and I cannot always be with you.” – Spoken like a true eldest sibling.

Aegon updated his Small Council throughout his reign:

Hand of the King:

·         Orys Baratheon (1 AC to 7 AC, resigned after losing his hand in Dorne)

·         Lord Edmyn Tully (7 AC to 9 AC, returned to the Riverlands after his wife’s death)

·         Alton Celtigar, Lord of Claw Isle (9 AC to 17 AC, dies in office)

·         Ser Osmund Strong (17 AC to 34 AC, dies in office)

·         Lord Alyn Stokeworth (34 AC to ?)

Master of Ships:

·         Daemon Velaryon, Lord of Tides and Master of Driftmark (died in an early battle of the Conquest)

·         Aethan Velaryon (1 AC to ?)

Velaryons would be appointed Master of Ships so often the position appeared to be hereditary.

Master of Coin:

·         Crispin Celtigar (1 AC to ?)

Master of Laws:

·         Triston Massey, Lord of Stonedance (1 AC to ?)

Grand Maester:

·         Archmaester Ollidar (5 AC)

·         Archmaester Lyonce (5/6 AC to 12 AC)

·         Grand Maester Gawen (12 AC to 42 AC)

The Kingsguard:

·         Ser Corlys Velaryon, the Lord Commander

·         Ser Richard Roote

·         Ser Addison Hill, Bastard of Cornfield

·         Ser Gregor Goode

·         Ser Griffith Goode

·         Ser Humfrey the Mummer

·         Ser Robin “Darkrobin” Darklyn

We are told these are storied names and “each would have their names and deeds written down in the White Book, and two would die in the king’s service”.

Going over the names of the KIngsguard and Small Council

·         We have three Velaryons – two masters of ship and a Kingsguard

·         A Celtigar as the master of coin and a hand of king

·         A Baratheon as a Hand of the King

Not a surprise to see these names – the Velaryons and Celtigars are of Valyrian descent and Orys is the Targaryens�� half-brother.

Massey was another original ally. Stokeworth came from the Crownlands that were conquered early and “rejoiced” at Aegon’s conquest. Edmyn Tully was an early ally and had been previously rewarded by becoming the Lord of the Riverlands.

First appearance of the Strongs and the Darklyns in the Small Council/Kingsguard. Those are families that are frequently appointed to both institutions.

As for the Kingsguard:

·         I don’t find it surprising that Visenya appointed a bastard – she was aiming for competence and skill. I wonder about the nobles’ reactions – were they appalled a bastard was appointed to such a lofty position?

·         Ser Humfrey the Mummer – no house name, possibly a hedge knight? Another appointment that would appall the nobles.

·         Roote is a house from the Riverlands – possibly recommended by Edmyn Tully?

·         House Goode – I’m not sure which region they are from. The family will have another member appointed to the Kingsguard during Rhaenyra’s brief reign.

Final accomplishment: The building of King’s Landing. Here is the timeline:

2 BC – The future King’s Landing is a fishing village.

1 AC – The Future King’s Landing is a town of several thousand. That’s quite a growth spurt in a three year period.

10 AC: King’s Landing is the newest, if smallest, city in Westeros

19 - 20 AC. The walls of King’s Landing are constructed with seven gates to honor the seven gods of the Faith. The construction is overseen by Ser Osmund Strong

25 AC – King’s Landing surpasses White Harbor to become the third largest city in Westeros

26 AC – The construction of the walls of King’s Landing is finished.

33 AC – King’s Landing has a population of 100,000.

35 AC – The Aegonfort is torn down and construction begins on the Red Keep. The building is overseen by Alyn Stokeworth and Visenya Targaryen.

 In 37 AC, Aegon the Conqueror died of a stroke while telling stories of the Conquest to his grandsons.

Final Assessment: Aegon was a master of warfare and politics. I’d put him near the top of a ranking of Targaryen kings if he didn’t cause the deaths of thousands upon thousands of individuals due to his misplaced pride and delusions of grandeur in the First Dornish War. And yes, Meria Martell, has to own her share of the blame in that horror show – she would easily be at/near the top of my all-time worst Westerosi leaders.

Up next, Aenys almost single-handedly sinks the Targaryen dynasty.

[lyannas]

Top 5 asoiaf historical events

Defenestration of Sunspear

The Hour of the Wolf

The Tourney at Harrenhal

Robert’s Rebellion

The Tourney at Ashford Meadow