Difference between revisions of "Conquest of Dorne"

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{{for|the book|The Conquest of Dorne}}
 
{{Infobox Military Conflict
 
{{Infobox Military Conflict
| style =  
+
| style =
| conflict_name =  
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| conflict_name = Conquest of Dorne
 
| part_of =
 
| part_of =
 
| image = [[File:Baelor in the Boneway.png|350px]]
 
| image = [[File:Baelor in the Boneway.png|350px]]
 
| image2 =
 
| image2 =
| caption = [[Baelor I]] does a walk of penance through the [[Boneway]], as depicted by Arthur Bozonnet in ''[[The World of Ice and Fire]]''.
+
| caption = [[Baelor I Targaryen|Baelor I]] does a walk of penance through the [[Boneway]], as depicted by Arthur Bozonnet in ''[[The World of Ice & Fire]]''
| date = {{Date|157}}
+
| date = {{Date|157|161}}
| battles =  
+
| battles = [[Submission of Sunspear]]
 
| location = [[Dorne]]
 
| location = [[Dorne]]
| result =  
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| result = Short-lasting conquest of Dorne, followed by a Dornish rebellion
<!-- combatant 1 -->  
+
<!-- combatant 1 -->
| combatant1 = [[Iron Throne]]
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| combatant1 = [[File:House Targaryen.svg|30px]] '''[[Iron Throne]]/[[House Targaryen]]'''
| commander1 = King [[Daeron I Targaryen]]†<br>[[Alyn Velaryon]]<br>Lord [[Lyonel Tyrell (Lord)|Lyonel Tyrell]]†
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*[[File:House Velaryon.svg|20px]] [[House Velaryon]]
| strength1 = unknown
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*[[File:House Tyrell.svg|30px]] [[The Reach]], led by [[House Tyrell]]
| losses1 = 10,000 from warfare{{ref|AGOT|5}}<br>50,000 from occupation and rebellion{{ref|AGOT|5}}<br>King [[Daeron I Targaryen]]†<br>Lord [[Lyonel Tyrell (Lord)|Lyonel Tyrell]]†<br>Lord [[Alester Oakheart]]†<br>Ser [[Olyvar Oakheart]]†<br>[[Rickon Stark (son of Cregan)|Rickon Stark]]†
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**[[File:House Oakheart.svg|20px]] [[House Oakheart]]
<!-- combatant 2 -->  
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*[[File:House Stark.svg|30px]] [[House Stark]]
| combatant2 = [[House Martell]]
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| commander1 = [[File:House Targaryen.svg|20px]] King [[Daeron I Targaryen]]†<br>[[File:House Velaryon.svg|20px]] Lord [[Alyn Velaryon]]<br>[[File:House Tyrell.svg|20px]] Lord [[Lyonel Tyrell (lord)|Lyonel Tyrell]]†
| commander2 =  
+
| strength1 = Unknown
| strength2 = unknown number of [[Dornishmen]]
+
| losses1 = 50,000 to 60,000{{Ref|AGOT|5}}{{Ref|TWOIAF| The Targaryen Kings: Daeron I}}<br>King [[Daeron I Targaryen]]†<br>Lord [[Lyonel Tyrell (Lord)|Lyonel Tyrell]]†<br>Ser [[Olyvar Oakheart]]†<br>[[Rickon Stark (son of Cregan)|Rickon Stark]]†
| losses2 = unknown
+
<!-- combatant 2 -->
 +
| combatant2 = [[File:House Martell.svg|30px]] '''[[Prince of Dorne|Principality]] of [[Dorne]]/[[House Martell]]'''
 +
*[[File:House Qorgyle.svg|30px]][[House Qorgyle]]
 +
*[[File:WylCoA.png|20px]] [[House Wyl]]
 +
[[Lys]] (aid){{Ref|TWOIAF| The Quarrelsome Daughters: Myr, Lys, and Tyrosh}}
 +
[[Pentos]] (aid){{Ref|TWOIAF| The Quarrelsome Daughters: Myr, Lys, and Tyrosh}}
 +
| commander2 = [[File:House Martell.svg|20px]] Prince [[Prince of Dorne (father of Maron)|Martell]]
 +
| strength2 = [[House Martell]]<br>+forty noble families<br>Dornish [[smallfolk]]
 +
| losses2 = Unknown
 
}}
 
}}
:''For the book, see ''[[The Conquest of Dorne]]''.''
 
The '''conquest of Dorne''' was the war of the Young Dragon, King [[Daeron I Targaryen]], against [[Dorne]]. Upon ascending to the [[Iron Throne]], Daeron wanted to complete the campaign his ancestor [[Aegon I Targaryen|Aegon the Conquerer]] had begun, and marched south to conquer Dorne in {{date|157}}. Daeron was only 14 years old at the time.{{Ref|aGoT|5}} Although Daeron quickly conquered Dorne, the Dornishmen successfully rebelled four years later.
 
  
==Background==
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The '''conquest of Dorne''' was a war in [[Westeros]], fought between the [[Iron Throne]] and [[Dorne]]. Upon ascending to the throne, King [[Daeron I Targaryen]] wanted to complete [[Aegon's Conquest|the campaign]] begun by his ancestor, [[Aegon I Targaryen|Aegon the Conqueror]]. Daeron the Young Dragon was only fourteen years old when he began his war in {{Date|157}}. Although Daeron quickly conquered Dorne, the [[Dornishmen]] successfully rebelled.
  
Shortly before [[House Targaryen]]'s [[War of Conquest]], Princess [[Meria Martell]], the ruling [[Princess of Dorne]], offered an alliance to [[Aegon I Targaryen|Aegon Targaryen]] against the [[Storm Kings]]. Aegon, looking not for alliances but for submission, did not accept, instead began his conquest. His sister-wife, Queen [[Rhaenys Targaryen]], led an army into [[Dorne]]. However, the Dornish refused to give battle, and instead hid, melting away in their mountains and deserts. Rhaenys captured holdfasts, but it made no difference, for there was no man to be found, only women and children. Eventually, Rhaenys flew to [[Sunspear]] on her dragon [[Meraxes]], where Princess Mariya told her to leave and that she was not wanted in Dorne. Rhaenys left with Dorne untaken.{{ref|TWOIAF| The Conquest}}
+
==Prelude==
 +
Shortly before [[Aegon's Conquest]], Princess [[Meria Martell]], the ruling [[Princess of Dorne]], offered an alliance to [[Aegon I Targaryen|Aegon Targaryen]] against the [[Storm Kings]]. Aegon, looking not for alliances but for submission, did not accept, and began his [[Wars of Conquest]]. His sister-wife, Queen [[Rhaenys Targaryen]], led an army into [[Dorne]] during the first war. However, the Dornish refused to give battle, and instead hid, melting away in their mountains and deserts. Rhaenys captured holdfasts, but it made no difference, for there was no man to be found, only women and children. Eventually, Rhaenys flew to [[Sunspear]] on her dragon, [[Meraxes]], where Princess Meria told her to leave, as she was not wanted in Dorne. Rhaenys left with Dorne untaken.{{ref|TWOIAF| The Reign of the Dragons: The Conquest}} [[House Targaryen]] conquered the other six kingdoms of Westeros during [[Aegon's Conquest]].
  
Following Aegon's conquest of the other kingdoms of Westeros, the Dornishmen resisted the Targaryens in the [[First Dornish War]].{{ref|TWOIAF| Dorne Against the Dragons}}
+
In {{Date|4}}, Aegon the Conqueror launched a second attempt to conquer Dorne, the devastating [[First Dornish War]]. Notable events included the maiming of Lord [[Orys Baratheon]], the death of Queen Rhaenys and Meraxes at [[Hellholt]] in {{Date|10}}, and the formation of the [[Kingsguard]] following a failed assassination attempt on King Aegon I.{{ref|TWOIAF| Dorne: Dorne Against the Dragons}}{{Ref|TWOIAF| The Targaryen Kings: Aegon I}} When Princess Meria died in {{Date|13}}, her successor, Prince [[Nymor Martell]], sent his own heir, Princess [[Deria Martell|Deria]], to King's Landing with the skull of Meraxes and a letter for King Aegon I. Though the gift of the skull was ill-received, Aegon signed a peace after reading the letter, whose contents are unknown.{{Ref|TWOIAF| Dorne: Dorne Against the Dragons}}
 +
 
 +
Dorne remained independent from Targaryen rule. Though King [[Viserys I Targaryen]] considered wedding his heir, [[Rhaenyra Targaryen|Rhaenyra]], to the Prince of Dorne as a way of bringing Dorne into his realm, he did not follow through on this idea.{{Ref|TRP}}
  
 
==The Conquest of Dorne==
 
==The Conquest of Dorne==
 +
King [[Daeron I Targaryen]] ascended the throne at the age of fourteen in {{Date|157}}. He had long felt that the continued independence of Dorne represented unfinished business for the Targaryens, and vowed to rectify this, planning to "complete [[Aegon's Conquest|the Conquest]]". When his councilors at first opposed him, informing their young king that he lacked the dragons that [[Aegon I Targaryen]] had used, Daeron replied "You have a dragon. He stands before you". His advisors became more convinced in the success of the plan after Daeron revealed the plans he had made with Lord [[Alyn Velaryon]].{{Ref|TWOIAF| The Targaryen Kings: Daeron I}}
 +
 +
Three hosts went to war against the Dornish. One was led by Lord [[Lyonel Tyrell (lord)|Lyonel Tyrell]], who marched through the [[Prince's Pass]], entering Dorne at the western end of the [[Red Mountains]]. Alyn led another by sea, while the king led a host down the [[Boneway]], using goat tracks.{{Ref|TWOIAF| The Targaryen Kings: Daeron I}} While Daeron conquered the Prince's Pass, where the main Dornish strength was occupied, Alyn the Oakenfist and his fleet broke the [[Planky Town]], allowing them to sail upriver on the [[Greenblood]]. This prevented the eastern and western Dornish armies from giving one another aid in battle. A series of battles followed.{{Ref|TWOIAF| The Targaryen Kings: Daeron I}}{{Ref|ADWD|17}}
 +
 +
===Submission of Sunspear===
 +
Within a year, the Targaryen armies arrived at the gates of [[Sunspear]] and battled their way through the [[shadow city]]. In {{Date|158}}, the [[Prince of Dorne (father of Maron)|Prince of Dorne]] and forty of the most powerful Dornish [[lord]]s bent their knees in the [[Submission of Sunspear]], with all [[Seven Kingdoms]] now ruled by the [[Iron Throne]] in fact as well as name.{{Ref|TWOIAF| The Targaryen Kings: Daeron I}}
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 +
The few rebels who remained managed to cause trouble on several occasions. Once, they attempted to hit Daeron with a [[poison]]ed arrow. Daeron's cousin, Prince [[Aemon Targaryen (son of Viserys II)|Aemon Targaryen]], the Dragonknight, was hit instead, and was sent home to recover. Daeron was quick to consolidate his rule, and by {{Date|159}} returned to King's Landing, leaving Lord [[Lyonel Tyrell (lord)|Lyonel Tyrell]] to keep the peace in Dorne.{{Ref|TWOIAF| The Targaryen Kings: Daeron I}} Fourteen highborn hostages were taken to ensure the loyalty of the nobility in Dorne.{{Ref|TWOIAF| The Targaryen Kings: Daeron I}} They were escorted to King's Landing by Prince [[Aegon IV Targaryen|Aegon Targaryen]], the Dragonknight's older brother.{{Ref|TWOIAF| The Targaryen Kings: Aegon IV}}
 +
 +
Many accounts have been written about the conquest of Dorne, including a book by the Young Dragon himself. Titled ''[[The Conquest of Dorne]]'', Daeron's account is considered to have been written with an elegant simplicity.{{Ref|TWOIAF| The Targaryen Kings: Daeron I}}{{Ref|ASOS|54}} However, according to [[Doran Martell]], the current Prince of Dorne, Daeron exaggerated the strength of the Dornishmen, in order to make his own victories sound more grand.{{Ref|AFFC|40}}
 +
 +
===Open rebellion===
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Though the hostages taken by [[Daeron I Targaryen]] ensured the loyalty of the Dornish nobility, the [[smallfolk]] continued to rebel against Targaryen rule. Lord [[Lyonel Tyrell (lord)|Lyonel Tyrell]] moved with his train from one keep to the next each month, chasing the rebels and punishing those who had given them aid. The rebels attacked his train, stealing or destroying supplies, killing soldiers or horses, and burning camps.{{Ref|TWOIAF| The Targaryen Kings: Daeron I}}{{Ref|TWOIAF| The Reach: House Tyrell}}
  
Young [[Daeron I Targaryen]] had long felt that the continued independence of Dorne represented unfinished business for the Targaryens, and upon his ascension he vowed to rectify his ancestor's mistake. He ascended to the throne in {{Date|157}}, and marched south, defeating the [[Dornishmen]] in battle. He used a goat track to bypass the Dornish watchtowers on the [[Boneway]]. Meanwhile, [[Alyn Velaryon]], Daeron's naval commander known as Oakenfist, broke the [[Planky Town]] and sailed up the [[Greenblood]] while most of the Dornishmen's strength was occupied in the [[Prince's Pass]].{{ref|ADWD|17}} Daeron wrote about his victory in his book, ''[[The Conquest of Dorne]]''. In order to make it seem more glorious, Daeron exaggerated the strength of the Dornishmen.
+
True rebellion began when Lyonel reached [[Sandstone]], the seat of [[House Qorgyle]]. It was his custom to turn the lords of the keeps he stayed in out of their chambers, to sleep in their beds. One night at Sandstone he found himself in a bed with a heavy velvet canopy, and was informed that he could summon a wench by pulling on the sash. When he did so, the canopy opened and a hundred red scorpions fell upon him. The news of his death led to a rebellion throughout Dorne, and in a fortnight all the work of the Young Dragon was undone.{{Ref|ASOS|66}}{{Ref|TWOIAF| The Targaryen Kings: Daeron I}}{{Ref|TWOIAF| The Reach: House Tyrell}} Letters recorded in ''[[Red Sands]]'' by Maester [[Gareth (maester)|Gareth]] suggest that Lord Qorgyle himself had arranged for the murder, though his motives are uncertain. Lord Qorgyle had shown his loyalty to King Daeron I early on, and some suggest that he was angry about the little consideration that Lord Tyrell had shown him. Others claim that his early show of loyalty had been part of a ploy to win the trust of Daeron I and the Tyrells.{{Ref|TWOIAF| The Targaryen Kings: Daeron I}}
  
After the [[Submission of Sunspear]], the Young Dragon left Lord [[Lyonel Tyrell (lord)|Lyonel Tyrell]] of [[Highgarden]] to rule Dorne for him. The Dornishmen proved cunning and impossible to rule, as they had done before.<ref>''[[A Song of Ice and Fire Campaign Guide]]''</ref> Lord Tyrell moved with his train from one keep to the next, chasing rebels and keeping the knees of the Dornishmen bent. It was his custom to turn the lords of the keeps he stayed in out of their chambers, to sleep in their place. One night, finding himself in a bed with a heavy velvet canopy, he pulled a sash near the pillows to summon a wench. When he did so, the canopy opened and a hundred red scorpions fell upon him. The news of his death led to a rebellion throughout Dorne, and in a fortnight all the work of the Young Dragon was undone.{{Ref|aSoS|66}}
+
Daeron had been intending to wed one of his sisters to the [[Sealord of Braavos]], hoping to seal an alliance to removing pirates from the [[Stepstones]], as they were hindering trade with Dorne. However, Braavos was at war with [[Pentos]] and [[Lys]] at the time, and talk of such an alliance between the Iron Throne and Braavos encouraged Pentos and Lys to lend aid to the Dornish that proved to be crucial.{{Ref|TWOIAF| The Quarrelsome Daughters: Myr, Lys, and Tyrosh}}
  
[[File:Viper pit.png|thumb|left|[[Baelor I]] saves [[Aemon Targaryen (son of Viserys II)|Aemon Targaryen]] from a viper pit, as depicted in ''[[The World of Ice and Fire]]''.]]
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Daeron returned to Dorne in {{Date|160}}, and won several victories while fighting through the [[Boneway]]. Lord [[Alyn Velaryon]] once more descended on the [[Planky Town]] and the [[Greenblood]]. One of the notable people who died during the battles outside of Sunspear was [[Rickon Stark (son of Cregan)|Rickon Stark]], the heir to [[Winterfell]].{{Ref|TWOIAF| The North: The Lords of Winterfell}}
The conquest of Dorne lasted a summer{{Ref|aGoT|5}} and ended with Daeron's death in {{Date|161}} at the age of 18 while trying to put down the Dornish rebellion.{{Ref|aGoT|Appendix}} The Dornish betrayed him while meeting under a peace banner, possibly in the Prince's Pass. Three Kingsguard, including [[Alester Oakheart|Alester]] and Ser [[Olyvar Oakheart|Olyvar the Green Oak]], died at the side of the Young Dragon, while a fourth shamefully yielded. The wounded [[Aemon Targaryen (son of Viserys II)|Aemon the Dragonknight]] was taken prisoner.{{ref|AFFC|13}}{{ref|TWOIAF| Daeron I}}
 
  
After the death of Daeron, Dorne successfully separated itself from the Seven Kingdoms.<ref>''[[A Game of Thrones (game)|A Game of Thrones RPG and Resource Book]]'', Guardians of Order</ref> It is said Daeron I lost ten thousand men taking Dorne and another fifty trying to hold it.{{ref|AGOT|5}}
+
In {{Date|161}}, the Dornishmen agreed to meet to discuss terms and renew their fealty. It was a ploy to kill King Daeron I, however, and the Dornish attacked the Young Dragon while under a peace banner. Of Daeron's [[Kingsguard]] knights, three died, Ser [[Aemon Targaryen (son of Viserys II)|Aemon the Dragonknight]] was captured, and another yielded. Ser [[Olyvar Oakheart]] of the [[Kingsguard]] died at the side of King Daeron I,{{Ref|AFFC|13}} though it is unknown whether he was one of the three Kingsguard knights who died with Daeron, or whether he died earlier during the war, in defense of his king. [[Alester Oakheart]] blew his warhorn while dying in the [[Prince's Pass]],{{Ref|AFFC|13}} but it is unconfirmed if this was the same incident as Daeron's death.
 +
 
 +
The conquest of Dorne ended with Daeron's death, after having lasted only a summer.{{Ref|AGOT|5}}{{Ref|aGoT|Appendix}}  It is said that ten thousand men had died conquering Dorne,{{Ref|AGOT|5}}{{Ref|TWOIAF| The Targaryen Kings: Daeron I}} but many more died trying to hold it; According to Maester [[Yandel]], Daeron lost another forty thousand men during the three years after the conquest had completed,{{Ref|TWOIAF| The Targaryen Kings: Daeron I}} but according to [[Benjen Stark]] the true number was fifty thousand.{{Ref|AGOT|5}}
  
 
==Aftermath==
 
==Aftermath==
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[[File:Viper pit.png|thumb|[[Baelor I Targaryen|Baelor I]] saves [[Aemon Targaryen (son of Viserys II)|Aemon Targaryen]] from a viper pit, as depicted in ''[[The World of Ice & Fire]]''.]]
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With Dorne again independent, the body of King [[Daeron I Targaryen]] returned to the lands of the [[Iron Throne]] via the [[Weeping Town]] in the [[stormlands]]; the town received its name from its people's sadness at the king's murder.{{ref|TWOIAF| The Stormlands}}  The [[Hand of the King]], Prince [[Viserys II Targaryen|Viserys Targaryen]], ordered the fourteen highborn hostages taken after the [[Submission of Sunspear]] thrown in the [[Red Keep]]'s dungeons to await their execution.
  
After King Daeron’s death, the newly-crowned [[Baelor I Targaryen]] desired peace with Dorne. Walking the [[Boneway]] barefoot, legend has it he walked into a snakepit to rescue his cousin, [[Aemon Targaryen (son of Viserys II)|Aemon the Dragonknight]], while being bitten many times by the vipers. It is said that the venom could not hurt Baelor because he was so holy. It is possible the snake pit from the story was Dorne itself, and the vipers the Dornishmen. [[Ellaria Sand]] remarks that Baelor was bitten many times, and should have died from it.{{Ref|aSoS|59}}
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The newly-crowned [[Baelor I Targaryen]], however, desired peace with Dorne, and he walked the [[Boneway]] barefoot to Sunspear, returning the hostages. At the Dornish capital, he spoke with the [[Prince of Dorne]], and negotiated a betrothal between his cousin, Prince [[Daeron II Targaryen|Daeron Targaryen]], and the eldest child of the Prince of Dorne, Princess [[Myriah Martell]], as part of the peace negotiations.{{Ref|TWOIAF| The Targaryen Kings: Baelor I}}
  
Baelor did not die, and returned to [[King's Landing]] having negotiated a marriage between his cousin [[Daeron II Targaryen|Daeron]] and the Dornish Princess [[Myriah Martell]], sister to the then-ruling [[Prince of Dorne]], as a means of making peace with Dorne.<ref name=SSM2>So Spake Martin: [http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Entry/2810/ Targaryen History] (April 20, 2008)</ref>
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From Sunspear, Baelor travelled to [[Wyl (castle)|Wyl]], where his cousin, [[Aemon Targaryen (son of Viserys II)|Aemon the Dragonknight]], had been imprisoned in a cage above a pit filled with vipers. Baelor was given the key to open the cage by Lord Wyl. While the songs say that the vipers bowed their heads to Baelor and refused to bite him because he was pure and holy, in truth Baelor the Blessed was bitten many times,{{Ref|TWOIAF| The Targaryen Kings: Baelor I}}{{Ref|aSoS|59}} and he collapsed almost before Aemon could open the door to his cage and pull him inside. With Baelor flung across his back and his cage now opened, Aemon was able to get both of them to safety. The Dragonknight travelled from [[Wyl (castle)|Wyl]] to [[Blackhaven]] with an unconscious Baelor and on to [[Storm's End]], where he stayed for half a year before he could continue his journey to [[King's Landing]].{{Ref|TWOIAF| The Targaryen Kings: Baelor I}}
  
[[Daeron II Targaryen]], who became king in {{date|184}}, negotiated a marriage between his sister [[Daenerys Targaryen (daughter of Aegon IV)|Daenerys]] to Prince [[Maron Martell]], who at the time was the ruling Prince of Dorne. It was this marriage that made Dorne an official part of the Seven Kingdoms, which took place in {{Date|197}}, according to semi-canon sources.<ref>''[[A Song of Ice and Fire Campaign Guide]]''</ref>
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The betrothal between Daeron and Myriah that Baelor had negotiated eventually resulted in a fruitful marriage. Prince Daeron ascended the throne in {{Date|184}} as Daeron II, and his good relations with Dorne led to an increased Dornish influence at court. There were some lords, however, who felt that the Dornish influence over Daeron II was too much, which in turn made them more sympathetic towards the [[Blackfyre Pretenders|Blackfyre cause]].{{Ref|TWOIAF| The Targaryen Kings: Daeron II}}
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 +
Early in his reign, Daeron the Good began negotiations with his brother-in-law, [[Maron Martell]], the Prince of Dorne, to unify his realm with Dorne. He arranged a betrothal between his younger sister, Princess [[Daenerys Targaryen (daughter of Aegon IV)|Daenerys Targaryen]], and Maron. The marriage took place at King's Landing in {{Date|187}}, and peacefully brought Dorne into the writ of the Iron Throne.{{Ref|TWOIAF| The Targaryen Kings: Daeron II}}
  
 
==Quotes==
 
==Quotes==
{{Quote|The arms of House Martell display the sun and spear, the Dornishman’s two favored weapons, but of the two, the sun is the more deadly.{{Ref|AFFC|21}}}} - excerpt from ''[[The Conquest of Dorne]]''
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{{Quote|The arms of [[House Martell]] display the sun and spear, the Dornishman's two favored weapons, but of the two, the sun is the more deadly.{{Ref|AFFC|21}}|excerpt from ''[[The Conquest of Dorne]]'' by [[Daeron I Targaryen]]}}
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
{{references|2}}
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{{References|2}}
 
{{Wars in Westeros}}
 
{{Wars in Westeros}}
  
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[[Category:Conquest of Dorne| ]]
 
[[Category:Dorne]]
 
[[Category:Dorne]]
 
[[Category:Wars]]
 
[[Category:Wars]]
[[Category:Conquest of Dorne| ]]
 
 
[[Category:House Martell wars|Dorne]]
 
[[Category:House Martell wars|Dorne]]
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[[Category:House Oakheart wars|Dorne]]
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[[Category:House Qorgyle wars|Dorne]]
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[[Category:House Stark wars|Dorne]]
 
[[Category:House Targaryen wars|Dorne]]
 
[[Category:House Targaryen wars|Dorne]]
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[[Category:House Tyrell wars|Dorne]]
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[[Category:House Vaith wars|Dorne]]
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[[Category:House Velaryon wars|Dorne]]
  
 
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[[ru:Дорнийская война]]
 
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[[pt:Conquista de Dorne]]

Latest revision as of 17:28, 21 October 2022

Conquest of Dorne
Baelor in the Boneway.png
Baelor I does a walk of penance through the Boneway, as depicted by Arthur Bozonnet in The World of Ice & Fire

Date 157161 AC
Location Dorne
Battles Submission of Sunspear
Result Short-lasting conquest of Dorne, followed by a Dornish rebellion
Belligerents
House Targaryen.svg Iron Throne/House Targaryen House Martell.svg Principality of Dorne/House Martell
  • House Qorgyle.svgHouse Qorgyle
  • WylCoA.png House Wyl
  • Lys (aid)[1]

    Pentos (aid)[1]
    Notable commanders
    House Targaryen.svg King Daeron I Targaryen
    House Velaryon.svg Lord Alyn Velaryon
    House Tyrell.svg Lord Lyonel Tyrell
    House Martell.svg Prince Martell
    Strength
    UnknownHouse Martell
    +forty noble families
    Dornish smallfolk
    Losses
    50,000 to 60,000[2][3]
    King Daeron I Targaryen
    Lord Lyonel Tyrell
    Ser Olyvar Oakheart
    Rickon Stark
    Unknown

    The conquest of Dorne was a war in Westeros, fought between the Iron Throne and Dorne. Upon ascending to the throne, King Daeron I Targaryen wanted to complete the campaign begun by his ancestor, Aegon the Conqueror. Daeron the Young Dragon was only fourteen years old when he began his war in 157 AC. Although Daeron quickly conquered Dorne, the Dornishmen successfully rebelled.

    Prelude

    Shortly before Aegon's Conquest, Princess Meria Martell, the ruling Princess of Dorne, offered an alliance to Aegon Targaryen against the Storm Kings. Aegon, looking not for alliances but for submission, did not accept, and began his Wars of Conquest. His sister-wife, Queen Rhaenys Targaryen, led an army into Dorne during the first war. However, the Dornish refused to give battle, and instead hid, melting away in their mountains and deserts. Rhaenys captured holdfasts, but it made no difference, for there was no man to be found, only women and children. Eventually, Rhaenys flew to Sunspear on her dragon, Meraxes, where Princess Meria told her to leave, as she was not wanted in Dorne. Rhaenys left with Dorne untaken.[4] House Targaryen conquered the other six kingdoms of Westeros during Aegon's Conquest.

    In 4 AC, Aegon the Conqueror launched a second attempt to conquer Dorne, the devastating First Dornish War. Notable events included the maiming of Lord Orys Baratheon, the death of Queen Rhaenys and Meraxes at Hellholt in 10 AC, and the formation of the Kingsguard following a failed assassination attempt on King Aegon I.[5][6] When Princess Meria died in 13 AC, her successor, Prince Nymor Martell, sent his own heir, Princess Deria, to King's Landing with the skull of Meraxes and a letter for King Aegon I. Though the gift of the skull was ill-received, Aegon signed a peace after reading the letter, whose contents are unknown.[5]

    Dorne remained independent from Targaryen rule. Though King Viserys I Targaryen considered wedding his heir, Rhaenyra, to the Prince of Dorne as a way of bringing Dorne into his realm, he did not follow through on this idea.[7]

    The Conquest of Dorne

    King Daeron I Targaryen ascended the throne at the age of fourteen in 157 AC. He had long felt that the continued independence of Dorne represented unfinished business for the Targaryens, and vowed to rectify this, planning to "complete the Conquest". When his councilors at first opposed him, informing their young king that he lacked the dragons that Aegon I Targaryen had used, Daeron replied "You have a dragon. He stands before you". His advisors became more convinced in the success of the plan after Daeron revealed the plans he had made with Lord Alyn Velaryon.[3]

    Three hosts went to war against the Dornish. One was led by Lord Lyonel Tyrell, who marched through the Prince's Pass, entering Dorne at the western end of the Red Mountains. Alyn led another by sea, while the king led a host down the Boneway, using goat tracks.[3] While Daeron conquered the Prince's Pass, where the main Dornish strength was occupied, Alyn the Oakenfist and his fleet broke the Planky Town, allowing them to sail upriver on the Greenblood. This prevented the eastern and western Dornish armies from giving one another aid in battle. A series of battles followed.[3][8]

    Submission of Sunspear

    Within a year, the Targaryen armies arrived at the gates of Sunspear and battled their way through the shadow city. In 158 AC, the Prince of Dorne and forty of the most powerful Dornish lords bent their knees in the Submission of Sunspear, with all Seven Kingdoms now ruled by the Iron Throne in fact as well as name.[3]

    The few rebels who remained managed to cause trouble on several occasions. Once, they attempted to hit Daeron with a poisoned arrow. Daeron's cousin, Prince Aemon Targaryen, the Dragonknight, was hit instead, and was sent home to recover. Daeron was quick to consolidate his rule, and by 159 AC returned to King's Landing, leaving Lord Lyonel Tyrell to keep the peace in Dorne.[3] Fourteen highborn hostages were taken to ensure the loyalty of the nobility in Dorne.[3] They were escorted to King's Landing by Prince Aegon Targaryen, the Dragonknight's older brother.[9]

    Many accounts have been written about the conquest of Dorne, including a book by the Young Dragon himself. Titled The Conquest of Dorne, Daeron's account is considered to have been written with an elegant simplicity.[3][10] However, according to Doran Martell, the current Prince of Dorne, Daeron exaggerated the strength of the Dornishmen, in order to make his own victories sound more grand.[11]

    Open rebellion

    Though the hostages taken by Daeron I Targaryen ensured the loyalty of the Dornish nobility, the smallfolk continued to rebel against Targaryen rule. Lord Lyonel Tyrell moved with his train from one keep to the next each month, chasing the rebels and punishing those who had given them aid. The rebels attacked his train, stealing or destroying supplies, killing soldiers or horses, and burning camps.[3][12]

    True rebellion began when Lyonel reached Sandstone, the seat of House Qorgyle. It was his custom to turn the lords of the keeps he stayed in out of their chambers, to sleep in their beds. One night at Sandstone he found himself in a bed with a heavy velvet canopy, and was informed that he could summon a wench by pulling on the sash. When he did so, the canopy opened and a hundred red scorpions fell upon him. The news of his death led to a rebellion throughout Dorne, and in a fortnight all the work of the Young Dragon was undone.[13][3][12] Letters recorded in Red Sands by Maester Gareth suggest that Lord Qorgyle himself had arranged for the murder, though his motives are uncertain. Lord Qorgyle had shown his loyalty to King Daeron I early on, and some suggest that he was angry about the little consideration that Lord Tyrell had shown him. Others claim that his early show of loyalty had been part of a ploy to win the trust of Daeron I and the Tyrells.[3]

    Daeron had been intending to wed one of his sisters to the Sealord of Braavos, hoping to seal an alliance to removing pirates from the Stepstones, as they were hindering trade with Dorne. However, Braavos was at war with Pentos and Lys at the time, and talk of such an alliance between the Iron Throne and Braavos encouraged Pentos and Lys to lend aid to the Dornish that proved to be crucial.[1]

    Daeron returned to Dorne in 160 AC, and won several victories while fighting through the Boneway. Lord Alyn Velaryon once more descended on the Planky Town and the Greenblood. One of the notable people who died during the battles outside of Sunspear was Rickon Stark, the heir to Winterfell.[14]

    In 161 AC, the Dornishmen agreed to meet to discuss terms and renew their fealty. It was a ploy to kill King Daeron I, however, and the Dornish attacked the Young Dragon while under a peace banner. Of Daeron's Kingsguard knights, three died, Ser Aemon the Dragonknight was captured, and another yielded. Ser Olyvar Oakheart of the Kingsguard died at the side of King Daeron I,[15] though it is unknown whether he was one of the three Kingsguard knights who died with Daeron, or whether he died earlier during the war, in defense of his king. Alester Oakheart blew his warhorn while dying in the Prince's Pass,[15] but it is unconfirmed if this was the same incident as Daeron's death.

    The conquest of Dorne ended with Daeron's death, after having lasted only a summer.[2][16] It is said that ten thousand men had died conquering Dorne,[2][3] but many more died trying to hold it; According to Maester Yandel, Daeron lost another forty thousand men during the three years after the conquest had completed,[3] but according to Benjen Stark the true number was fifty thousand.[2]

    Aftermath

    Baelor I saves Aemon Targaryen from a viper pit, as depicted in The World of Ice & Fire.

    With Dorne again independent, the body of King Daeron I Targaryen returned to the lands of the Iron Throne via the Weeping Town in the stormlands; the town received its name from its people's sadness at the king's murder.[17] The Hand of the King, Prince Viserys Targaryen, ordered the fourteen highborn hostages taken after the Submission of Sunspear thrown in the Red Keep's dungeons to await their execution.

    The newly-crowned Baelor I Targaryen, however, desired peace with Dorne, and he walked the Boneway barefoot to Sunspear, returning the hostages. At the Dornish capital, he spoke with the Prince of Dorne, and negotiated a betrothal between his cousin, Prince Daeron Targaryen, and the eldest child of the Prince of Dorne, Princess Myriah Martell, as part of the peace negotiations.[18]

    From Sunspear, Baelor travelled to Wyl, where his cousin, Aemon the Dragonknight, had been imprisoned in a cage above a pit filled with vipers. Baelor was given the key to open the cage by Lord Wyl. While the songs say that the vipers bowed their heads to Baelor and refused to bite him because he was pure and holy, in truth Baelor the Blessed was bitten many times,[18][19] and he collapsed almost before Aemon could open the door to his cage and pull him inside. With Baelor flung across his back and his cage now opened, Aemon was able to get both of them to safety. The Dragonknight travelled from Wyl to Blackhaven with an unconscious Baelor and on to Storm's End, where he stayed for half a year before he could continue his journey to King's Landing.[18]

    The betrothal between Daeron and Myriah that Baelor had negotiated eventually resulted in a fruitful marriage. Prince Daeron ascended the throne in 184 AC as Daeron II, and his good relations with Dorne led to an increased Dornish influence at court. There were some lords, however, who felt that the Dornish influence over Daeron II was too much, which in turn made them more sympathetic towards the Blackfyre cause.[20]

    Early in his reign, Daeron the Good began negotiations with his brother-in-law, Maron Martell, the Prince of Dorne, to unify his realm with Dorne. He arranged a betrothal between his younger sister, Princess Daenerys Targaryen, and Maron. The marriage took place at King's Landing in 187 AC, and peacefully brought Dorne into the writ of the Iron Throne.[20]

    Quotes

    The arms of House Martell display the sun and spear, the Dornishman's two favored weapons, but of the two, the sun is the more deadly.[21]

    References

    1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 The World of Ice & Fire, The Quarrelsome Daughters: Myr, Lys, and Tyrosh.
    2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 5, Jon I.
    3. 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Daeron I.
    4. The World of Ice & Fire, The Reign of the Dragons: The Conquest.
    5. 5.0 5.1 The World of Ice & Fire, Dorne: Dorne Against the Dragons.
    6. The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Aegon I.
    7. The Rogue Prince.
    8. A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 17, Jon IV.
    9. The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Aegon IV.
    10. A Storm of Swords, Chapter 54, Davos V.
    11. A Feast for Crows, Chapter 40, Princess In The Tower.
    12. 12.0 12.1 The World of Ice & Fire, The Reach: House Tyrell.
    13. A Storm of Swords, Chapter 66, Tyrion IX.
    14. The World of Ice & Fire, The North: The Lords of Winterfell.
    15. 15.0 15.1 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 13, The Soiled Knight.
    16. A Game of Thrones, Appendix.
    17. The World of Ice & Fire, The Stormlands.
    18. 18.0 18.1 18.2 The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Baelor I.
    19. A Storm of Swords, Chapter 59, Sansa IV.
    20. 20.0 20.1 The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Daeron II.
    21. A Feast for Crows, Chapter 21, The Queenmaker.