#The Hightowers Lannisters and Baratheons are oath-breakers and a disgrace to the Realm

[drakaripykiros130ac]

Sometimes I get the feeling that people in this fandom don’t understand the meaning of an oath.

The Asoiaf world may be fantasy, but it is still based on real-life medieval setting.

In European medieval times, the values of the Church were held in high regard, and a person’s word actually meant something. When someone made a promise/an oath, especially a noble, it was expected of that person to honor it. Failure to do so resulted in dire consequences.

It’s not like it is now in modern 21st century, when everyone makes promises they end up breaking eventually and it’s like *shrug* “oh well, too bad” and no consequences follow.

So, when the Lords of the Realm swore oaths to uphold the ascension of Rhaenyra Targaryen on the Iron Throne, they were not at all “stale” or “meaningless”, as Otto Hightower tries to argue (that’s modern mentality and kind of poor writing on the part of the showrunners). It’s a pledge made in the name of a House.

And just because some of the Lords who swore those oaths died, that doesn’t mean that those oaths died with them (as the Lannisters, who have no honor whatsoever, try to argue). The oaths were made on behalf of Houses, not individuals, and therefore, the Houses as a whole were expected to respect them.

The reason Rhaenyra Targaryen had most of the Realm on her side is because the majority of Westerosi Houses understand the meaning of an oath. They also acknowledge that with the absence of an actual succession law, Rhaenyra Targaryen is the rightful Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.