#harmon dondarrion

[goodqueenaly]

what do you think is the reason for baelor breakspear, the literal crown prince, marrying jena dondarrion, a lady from a very minor house in the dornish marches who presumably didnt like the dornish very much? could it have been daeron ii arranging this marriage to curry favour with dorne's enemies by marrying his very dornish son to a marcher lord's daughter and thus in a way simulating peace between the marchers and the dornish in the eyes of the realm? or could it have been a way to keep the blackfyre supporters in line assuming baelor married after the first rebellion, since one of the reasons for the uprising was anti-dornish sentiment?

Number one, I don’t think we can call the Dondarrions “a very minor House”. Indeed, Yandel himself counts the Dondarrions (alongside the Swanns, Selmys, and Carons) as one of “[t]he greatest of the Marcher lords” and refers to the Dondarrion seat of Blackhaven as “[a]mong the sternest of the Marcher seats … with its forbidding black basalt walls and bottomless dry moat”. Lord Harmon Dondarrion seems to have been of equal rank to Lord Tarly and Lady Caron, as all served as commanders during the campaign in Aenys I’s reign against the Vulture King, and Lord Dondarrion served as one of the three Marcher representatives at the wedding of Queen Alyssa and Rogar Baratheon. Queen Alysanne clearly considered the Dondarrions important enough to include on the royal couple’s tour of the Dornish Marches in 54 AC, and later a Dondarrion was one of the “dozen fresh young maidens chosen from amongst a hundred who coveted the distinction of serving as a companion to the queen [i.e. Alysanne]" - proof, I think, of the rank of the Dondarrions even relative to other Westerosi aristocrats. Notably as well in the main novels, Sansa thinks that while Jeyne Poole - herself an aristocrat, albeit an actually low-ranking and probably landless one - mooned after Lord Beric, the Lord of Blackhaven “would never look at someone so far beneath him”. 

Number two, it seems almost certain that Baelor and Jena were married prior to the First Blackfyre Rebellion. Valarr, their elder son, was not only old enough to joust as a knight at Ashford in 209 AC, suggesting that Valarr was at least 16 or so at that time, but was also big and tall enough for his nearly 40-year-old warrior father to plausibly borrow and wear his armor during the trial of seven, suggesting that Valarr was old enough to have reached his adult build and height. Personally, I think Baelor and Jena were married roughly around the mid to late 180s and Valarr was born around the late 180s, but whenever the actual wedding occurred, it’s impossible that Valarr was born in or after 196 AC, and as such his parents had to have been married ahead of the First Blackfyre Rebellion.

All of that said, why do I think Prince Baelor and Jena Dondarrion were married? Put very simply, I think Daeron II correctly recognized the fault lines of political factionalism in his kingdom and wanted to repair, rather than deepen, those divisions. From the beginning of his reign, King Daeron had very publicly advertised his desire to unite Dorne with the Targaryen kingdom. Not only was Daeron himself happily married to Myriah Martell, but as Yandel notes, “one of [Daeron’s] earliest significant acts after assuming the throne was to begin negotiations with his good-brother, Prince Maron, to unify Dorne under Targaryen rule” - negotiations which ended with the homage of Prince Maron and his wedding to the king’s sister, Princess Daenerys. Between the unique “significant rights and privileges” granted to the Dornish lords and the Prince of Dorne in particular in the peace accord, and the Dornishmen who were given places at court and “offices of note” under Daeron II, the king was making very clear that his government was openly and ardently pro-Dorne. 

Yet as Daeron II certainly realized, such courtly and political favoritism toward Dorne generally and House Martell specifically would hardly be received rapturously by the entirety of his realm. From the earliest days of the Targaryen monarchy, the dragonkings had, in the tradition of the Plantagenets and any number of other real-world monarchies, claimed dominion over Dorne, in title if not in fact. Daeron I had come closest, if relatively briefly, to making this paper crown of "King of the Rhoynar" a reality, and Daeron II’s own father Aegon IV had (albeit almost certainly for selfish and petty reasons) attempted to reignite (pun intended) the conquest of Dorne by House Targaryen. Daeron II’s pro-Dorne policies, then, were very much poised to be seen, at least by some of his subjects, as a jarring reversal away from a century and a half of Targaryen posturing and conquest and toward a political reality where the Dornish were, to borrow Yandel’s phrase, “rivals for the king’s attention or largesse”. That suspicion extended to Daeron’s heir: according to Yandel, “many men looked upon Baelor’s dark hair and eyes and muttered that he was more Martell than Targaryen”. This Martell-looking eldest son of a Martell queen, double first cousins with the future of the ruling dynasty of Dorne, may have seemed to suspicious factions to be the living guarantee that Martell, and more generally Dornish, royal favor was going to continue, if not indeed be increased, in the next generation of the Targaryen monarchy. 

The solution, I think, for Daeron II was to marry his eldest son and heir into one of the marcher lord dynasties. These families, founded explicitly according to Yandel to “[protect] the realm of the Storm Kings from the ancient enemies to the west and, especially, the south” and to “create a bulwark against incursions from the Dornish”, would almost certainly have been the most natural opponents of Daeron II’s pro-Dorne policies (and, given their famous pride, perhaps among the most vocal in their opposition). By choosing from among these lords for not just his daughter-in-law but the future (expected) Queen of the Seven Kingdoms and (expected) mother of the next king, Daeron II was making just as public a statement that his was not a client state of Sunspear but a united realm - one in which the proud marchers would have just as much opportunity for courtly favor and advancement as the Martells and other Dornish nobles did. The Dondarrions, and by extension any of their relatives and allies among the marchers, would be directly invested in the dynasty, with a tangible incentive for supporting Daeron II’s government (as opposed to, say, looking to Daemon Blackfyre as a rival for the throne). Too, if I can quote myself, the future (expected) royal children of Baelor and Jena, especially their (expected) eldest son and heir, “would be a microcosm of the peace Daeron sought”, as “Dornish blood and marcher blood, eternally spilled at the other’s expense, would mingle in a single person, a future king of the united state of Westeros”. 

One question I do have - though we’ll probably have to wait until Fire and Blood Volume 2 for an answer - is why Daeron II selected a Dondarrion rather than, say, a Swann or Caron. It could be that there were no daughters of the right age among any of other other prominent marcher families; it could be that Daeron II knew or liked Jena’s family more than he did, say, other marcher families; it could even be that Daeron chose the Dondarrions to temper the local geopolitical ambitions of the Swanns and Carons to each be counted “the oldest of the Marcher houses” and superior over the rest, with the king perhaps quietly reminding the Swanns and Carons that he had the power to humble as well as exalt. 

(Let's just hope that F&B Vol. 2 improves upon its predecessor and has Jena as an active, developed crown princess and would-be queen, rather than a walking womb or - ugh - another victim of death-by-childbirth.)

[asoiafandotherbooks]

TWOIAF/Fire & Blood: The King Who Flew Flies One Last Time, Lodos Reborn, A Vulture King Emerges, and Harren the Red Runs Wild...

Warning, Spoilers Ahead…

Aenys has only been king for a few months and he’s already endured a challenge to his authority in the Riverlands. Unfortunately, his tepid response has only encouraged rebellions in other regions.

Aenys returned to King’s Landing only to discover that Lord Ronnel Arryn, The King Who Flew, has been deposed and imprisoned by Jonos Arryn, his younger brother. Jonos then proclaimed himself the “King of the Mountain and the Vale”.

In the Iron Islands, a drowned priest proclaimed himself Lodos the Twice-Drowned, finally returned from visiting the hall of the Drowned God. It’s been 36 years since Lodos drowned himself, so that was quite the visit.

In Dorne, a man calling himself the Vulture King rose in the Red Mountains of Dorne. Princess Deria Martell denounced the Vulture King but thousands flocked to his banner. The siren call of avenging the evils the Targaryens visited on the Dornish was too tempting to resist.

Lord Harmon Dondarrion wrote to Aenys of the Vulture King: “This Vulture King is half-mad, and his followers are a rabble, undisciplined and unwashed. We can smell them coming fifty leagues away”.

The Vulture King must have taken great offense to the question of his personal hygiene as Blackhaven, home of the Dondarrions, became his first target. The Vulture King’s followers stormed the castle and the Vulture King himself sliced off Dondarrion’s nose. His followers then torched Blackhaven and marched away.

Aenys sat befuddled and indecisive in King’s Landing. Grand Maester Gawen stated the King couldn’t understand why this was happening. The small folk loved him, why don’t these rebels? If they had grievances, why not come to court and tell him – he would listen! Aenys would make a decision only to countermand it shortly after. For instance, he ordered Hand of the King Alyn Stokeworth to sail a fleet to the Vale to aid Ronnel Arryn, only to recall the fleet as he was afraid to leave King’s Landing undefended. As if King’s Landing could be undefended with Visenya and Vhagar only a short flight away on Dragonstone. The only concrete decision Aenys made was to send Queen Alyssa and the children to Dragonstone.

Aenys thought the next move should be to hold a grand council to discuss options. Dowager Queen Visenya decided to skip the council and issue orders.

The Rise of the Dragons has a passage not in The World Of Ice And Fire or Fire and Blood: “During Aegon’s reign, Visenya often assumed the daily tasks of ruling while Aegon was off on his royal progresses. Visenya’s role changed when Aenys assumed the throne, and she became more an advisor – and an often unwelcome one – rather than a co-ruler whose decisions had the force of law. It could truthfully be said, however, that Dowager Queen Visenya was still the most influential woman in the realm during Aenys’ reign – even more so than his own queen, Alyssa. But Visenya’s lack of direct power – and her clear preference for his own son, Prince Maegor – would eventually alienate the two entirely.”

First, Alyn Stokeworth accompanied by a few hundred men entered the Riverlands to hunt down Harren the Red. (To be fair to Aenys, he had input into this decision – but only this decision).

Second, Lord Allard Royce of Runstone (on his own initiative) assembled loyal bannermen and demanded the release of Ronnel. Jonos granted that request by throwing Ronnel through the Moon Door. The Eyrie is impregnable to any conventional assaults, but Visenya had a solution to that: sending Prince Maelor astride the recently claimed Balerion the Black Dread, Jonos’ lackeys lost their nerve upon spotting Balerion and threw Jonos through the moon door in an attempt at mercy. Maegor “mercifully” executed the traitors by hanging instead of burning. The World of Ice and Fire notes the traitors all died by Maegor’s hand, so Maegor seems to be a “man who passes sentence must swing the sword” type. Hubert Arryn, a cousin of Ronnel and Jonos, was installed as Lord of the Eyrie. Hubert had six sons by his wife, a Royce of Runestone.

Third, Goren Greyjoy, the Lord Reaper of Pyke, marshalled a hundred longships to descend on Old Wyk and Great Wyk. He put thousands of Lodos’ followers to the sword. Goren then had the head of Lodos prickled in brine and sent to King’s Landing. Aenys was overjoyed by the gift and granted Goren a boon. Goren asked for the right to expel every septa and septon from the Iron Islands, which Aenys reluctantly granted.

Fourth, was the Vulture King. Princess Deria continued to denounce the rebellion but did nothing to stop the Vulture King. Many suspected she was sending the Vulture King men, money, and supplies. The Vulture King had thirty thousand men under his command but made a fatal mistake in splitting his forces in two.

The Vulture King took his force to march west against Nightsong and Horn Hill Lord Walter Wyl, the son of the Widow-Lover, commanded the force sent to besiege Stonehelm, seat of House Swann.

Orys “Orys One-Hand” Baratheon left Storm’s End one final time to defend Stonehelm. He smashed the Dornish forces. Walter Wyl was then delivered to Orys: “Your father took my hand. I claim yours as repayment.” He then proceeded to take Walter’s other hand and both feet as “usury”. Apparently, Lannisters aren’t the only one to pay their debts.

Orys died on the march back to Storn’s End from wounds taken in battle. Davos, Ory’s son, said he died content, smiling at the rotting hand and feet.

By this point, the Vulture King had to abandon the siege of Nightsong. He marched east only to have Lady Caron (of Nightsong) join with a strong force of marchers led by the the noseless Harmon Dondarrion. Then “Savage” Sam Tarly decided to join the party with several thousand knights and archers. Savage Sam personally cut down dozens of Dornishmen with Heartsbane, the Tarly Valyrian sword. The Dornish broke and tried to retreat to the mountains only to be cut down by the marcher lords in the “Vulture Hunt”.

The Vulture King himself was taken alive and tied naked between two posts by Savage Sam, dying up thirst and exposure, his corpse feasted upon by vultures. His death is considered the end of the Second Dornish War but few Dornish Lords actually participated.

Harren the Red was both the first to rebel and the last to be put down. Harren was cornered in a village west of the Gods Eye. Harren slew Lord Alyn Stokeworth before being cut down by Bernarr Brune, Alyn’s squire.

King Aenys knighted Bernarr Brune and granted gold, offices, and honors to Davos Baratheon, Samwell Tarly, No-Nose Dondarrion, Ellyn Caron, Allard Royce, and Goren Greyjoy. Prince Maegor returned to King’s Landing to cheering crowds and proclaimed a hero. Aenys named Maegor as Hand of the King.

Up next, my thoughts on the rebellions.

[thesevenkingdomschroniclesrol]

Harmon Dondarrion apodado El Rayo, es un hombre que muchos han descrito como un prodigio.

Asumió como Señor de Refugio Negro con apenas dieciséis años, pero tan preparado como cualquier hombre marqueño para hacerle frente a dicho desafío.

Al heredar Refugio Negro, la casa Dondarrion ya estaba bastante menguada. Su padre y su tío habían fallecido defendiendo las Marcas de bandidos provenientes de Dorne, dejando tres hijos, a Harmon, Manfred y Jena.

Todos demasiado pequeños y sin una madre que pudiese cuidar de ellos, pues ésta falleció en el alumbramiento de Jena, haciendo de la situación de los Dandarrion y la historia de Harmon como señor algo complicado.

Los inicios fueron duros, Harmon tuvo que asumir todas las responsabilidades de su Padre de un día para otro y si bien el hombre le había enseñado bien, nadie en Refugio Negro confiaba en que un chico de dieciséis años hiciera mejor trabajo su padre.

Meses después aquellos que poca fe tenían en el hombre verían que sus dudas estaban injustificadas, Harmon dirigió a sus hombres con éxito, llegando a vengar la muerte de su padre tan sólo tres meses después, desbaratando la banda de Las Águilas Rojas, cuyos miembros habían emboscado a su padre dándole muerte.

Dada la poca experiencia de Harmon, por orden expresa de Lord Borros se quedó en Refugio Negro cumpliendo sus deberes junto a la guía de Lord Royce Caron, evitando así participar en los eventos de la Danza de los Dragones.

De cualquier forma, Lord Dondarrion estaba mucho más enfocado en Las Marcas y aplastar cualquier sublevación dorniense.

Como cualquier hombre crecido en dicho territorio, sabía que era cuestión de tiempo para que hubiese un nuevo conflicto bélico y no estuvo equivocado cuando se alzó un nuevo Rey Buitre aprovechando que los dragones estaban en su Danza.

Al terminar la guerra y con la muerte de Lord Borros Baratheon, Lord Caron se movilizó hacia Desembarco del Rey y fue él quien quedó a cargo de la defensa del Sendahueso en conjunto con los hombres de Yelmo de Piedra.

Durante la ausencia de Royce Caron por estar cumpliendo sus deberes como Regente, destacó de entre los otros señores marqueños por su juventud y sus éxitos, al punto de no haber sido vencido hasta la fecha en el campo de batalla.

Harmon disfruta de combatir y de pisar la tierra donde hombres compartirán acero, sudor, lágrimas y sangre. Es un hombre entregado al fulgor de la batalla y puede que esto a veces ciegue su juicio, aunque por el momento mal no le ha ido, sino todo lo contrario.

Es impulsivo como pocos, pero siente respeto por Royce Caron a quien incluso observa como una figura paterna al haber perdido a su padre siendo tan joven.

Sabe que el Señor de Nocturnia ha tenido que ver mucho con su crecimiento como guerrero y líder militar, pues juntos han defendido sus tierras y enfrentado en varias ocasiones a los hombres de Dorne.

[beyondmistland]

Can you talk more about Ivan the Terrible and how he could be used for inspiration for Maegor? I’m a little upset by how much of a caricature some ASOIAF characters are. Maegor had such potential. Also, we know in canon he fought pirates & the Giant of Trident so wouldn’t this make him independently rich (lands & reward & offices from the King) and popular with the Smallfolk? Then he was doing damage control for Aenys too. Maegor was probably upset all his hard work wasn’t acknowledged.

Sure.

If Maegor was more like Ivan the Terrible he’d be a capable general and administrator in addition to being prone to paranoia, bouts of murderous rage, and sadism. Furthermore, both Ivan the Terrible and Henry VIII were noted for their religious fervor so it’d be more than a little cheeky if Maegor was also very pious in his own specific way.

Indeed, given GRRM’s stated penchant for mixing and matching different historical figures/events/etc., combining Henry VIII with Ivan IV would have gone a long way towards making Maegor his own character as opposed to a flanderized caricature of one historical figure. For instance, he could have two children: 1) A daughter by his first wife (Alysanne in this case) leading him to start a religious conflict in a desperate bid to have sons and 2) A son (whether by a mistress or one of his later wives) who Maegor ends up accidentally killing in one of his psychotic episodes. (In a twist, Alysanne neither becomes Queen Regnant nor dies childless, unlike Mary I, which, in turn, distinguishes Maegor from his RL influences, both of whose dynasties went extinct.) Moreover, seeing as Ivan IV and Henry VIII were both men of culture, why not have Maegor invent the Doctrine of Exceptionalism, with Jaehaerys I then coming along and essentially dumbing it down for the masses (since I tend to imagine Maegor’s theological and philosophical arguments would either be incredibly esoteric or vaguely slippery)?

Another idea would be to make him into more of a Macbeth-like figure, with his lack of recognition standing in for the three witches’ prophecy as a catalyst.

That being said, you are correct his early exploits against Sargoso Saan and the Giant of the Trident should have made him the subject of numerous popular songs. (I genuinely wonder how Maegor the Cruel kept the peace for two straight years as Hand of the King to Aenys.)

As for being independently wealthy, that’s where we run into a major problem with F & B. Maegor is said to restore Ceryse’ rights, privileges, and incomes as both a wife and queen but nothing is spelled out in detail. Similarly, Aenys and Maegor are said to shower their supporters with gold, offices, honors, titles, and land, again without specifying anything. What really makes no sense though is that last one. The Crownlands are tiny and at no point does Yandel or Gyldayn say for example “after House Thornton was wiped out by the first Vulture King their lands, titles, castles, and incomes were split between Lord Harmon Dondarrion and Lady Ellyn Caron in reward of services rendered to the realm” with the exception of good ol’Harrenhal. What makes this especially egregious is 1) as Pennytree later shows, royal fiefs outside the Crownlands aren’t unprecedented, and 2) Royal dynasties should want to establish cadet branches yet the only person who ever thinks to formally do so is Daeron II.

Thanks for the question, anon

[twoiafart]

THE VULTURE KING Artwork by Francisco Vegas

A Dornishman calling himself the Vulture King appeared in the Red Mountains of Dorne, gathering thousands of Dornishmen to his banner despite being denounced by Princess Deria. The Dornishmen swept into the Marches and the Reach, taking and burning Blackhaven castle and slicing the nose off its lord, Harmon Dondarrion.

[aegor-bamfsteel]

What do you think about Vulture King and Vulture Hunt in asoiaf?

I think he’s a charismatic and colorful member of the cleanup crew—oh. You said Vulture King, not king vulture. There are several Vulture Kings, so I have different opinions about them. The first Vulture King wanted revenge for Targaryen attacks on Dorne, the second wanted to rape and loot the Stormlands, the third and fourth also raided the Stormlands possibly because the regular armies were busy at the time. The Vulture Hunt refers to the hunting down of the rebels after the first Vulture King’s regular army was defeated (how the Stormlanders were able to do this without going into Dorne where he seemed to be tolerated is beyond me. That was the whole point of Deria never taking action against him?), where the only details is that the supposed King was cruelly tortured to death by exposure (which leads me to think he wasn’t a noble, considering there’s some code of conduct for dealing with noble prisoners like the second Vulture King that wasn’t followed here.) I can kind of see why Harmon Dondarrion would want to hurt him, since he’d cut off his nose, but it’s the kind of same disproportionate violence that Orys visited on Walter Wyl (though Walter wasn’t responsible for his father’s crimes) in the same war. “Savage” Lord Tarly doesn’t even have that as an excuse for going over the top personally killing dozens of outlaws and coming up with the stake idea. What I don’t understand is the pretext, while sensible in context, doesn’t target the people most responsible for the destruction of in the first war in Dorne: the Targaryens, Tyrells, and Hightowers. Blackhaven/Stonehelm/Horn Hill aren’t even known to have participated in that war, and Nightsong was burned its family taken hostage and the garrison killed by Lord Fowler. Vulture King doesn’t go after Oldtown, and the Oakhearts and Cafferens—despite what Widowlover Wyl did in living memory that’s talked about in canon era—don’t stir to beat back another raider, though there’d be some payoff to that shock value scene. It just doesn’t seem like a well-thought out, well-characterized conflict interlude, which is hardly uncommon in the book where it comes from.

[indisden]

ASOIAF Minor Ladies Week 2021 - Day 5 - The Stormlands @asoiafminorhouses @asoiafwomensource

Ellyn Caron was the head of House Caron during the the Second Dornish War. When the Vulture King was unable to capture Nightsong, Ellyn joined forces with Harmon Dondarrion and Savage Sam Tarly. Althought the army of the outlaw king was twice as large, the three combined shuttered the outlaw host. They were later rewarded with titles, gold and honours by King Aenys. 

[asongofsilks]

Random fancasting --> People of the Stormlands: MyAnna Buring as Ellyn Caron

“The Vulture King himself fared little better. Unable to capture Nightsong, he abandoned the siege and marched west, only to have Lady Caron sally forth behind him, to join up with a strong force of marchers led by Harmon Dondarrion.”

The fact that she led her own men into battle suggests a no-nonsense ruling Lady who commanded loyalty from her knights. I imagine that she was older than thirty-five and no stranger to battle strategy by the time she helped smash the Vulture King’s army.

House Targaryen fancasts here

Main series era House Martell here

[thesevenkingdomschroniclesrol]

Canons aún disponibles

EL NORTE

• Brandon Stark

• Elric Stark

• Benjen Stark

• Sylas el Sombrío

TIERRA DE LOS RÍOS

• Humfrey Bracken

• Bess Bracken

• Benjicot Blackwood

• Alanis Blackwood

• Sabitha Frey

• Alys Ríos

EL VALLE DE ARRYN

• Eldric Arryn

• Arnold Arryn

• Isembard Arryn

• Joffrey Arryn

ISLAS DEL HIERRO

• Veron Greyjoy

• Aura Greyjoy

• Aerea Greyjoy

• Amara Greyjoy

• Gunthor Goodbrother

TIERRA DEL OESTE

• Erwin Lannister

• Tyshara Lannister •

Cerelle Lannister

• Raynald Westerling

• Herrock Kenning

• Gylbert Farman

TIERRA DE LA CORONA

• Jaehaera Targaryen

• Thaddeus Rowan

• Manfryd Mooton

EL DOMINIO

• Septon Supremo

• Samantha Tarly

• Myles Hightower

• Leo Costayne

• Lyonel Hightower

TIERRA DE LAS TORMENTAS

• Elenda Caron

• Cassandra Baratheon

• Maris Baratheon

• Royce Caron

• Balon Swann

• Harmon Dondarrion

DORNE • Qyle Martell

• Lewyn Martell

• Wyland Wyl

• Garrison Fowler

• Yoren Yronwood

ESSOS

• Viserys Targaryen

• Larra Targaryen

• Lysandro Rogare

• Cisne Negro

• Racallio Ryndoon

• Timotty Nieve

• Oscar Tully

[thesevenkingdomschroniclesrol]

Próximos canons a publicar

• Elenda Caron

• Cassandra Baratheon

• Maris Baratheon

• Ellyn Baratheon

• Royce Caron

• Balon Swann

• Harmon Dondarrion