Crownlands

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The crownlands with the major strongholds

The crownlands[1][2] are one of the nine constituent regions of the continent of Westeros. It was never a sovereign nation, instead being contested by river kings, Storm Kings, and local petty kings until Aegon the Conqueror seized control of the area during his War of Conquest and made it his primary foothold on the continent. Since then, the crownlands have been ruled directly by the crown on the Iron Throne, first House Targaryen and, after Robert's Rebellion, House Baratheon. Bastards of noble origin raised in the crownlands are given the surname Waters.

Geography

The environs of King's Landing. Concept art by Kim Pope for the Game of Thrones

The crownlands are based around Blackwater Bay, with the capital of King's Landing built where the Blackwater Rush meets the bay. King's Landing, the largest city in Westeros, contains the Great Sept of Baelor and the Red Keep, the home of House Baratheon of King's Landing. Settlements north of King's Landing include Antlers (seat of House Buckwell), Rosby (seat of House Rosby), Stokeworth (seat of House Stokeworth), and Duskendale (seat of House Rykker), the region's secondary port. Farther north are Rook's Rest (seat of House Staunton) and Crackclaw Point, a rugged peninsula of insular folk whose castles include the Dyre Den (seat of House Brune), Brownhollow (another seat of House Brune), and the Whispers (formerly of House Crabb). North of Crackclaw Point are the Bay of Crabs and the Vale of Arryn.[3]

The crownlands are bordered to the northwest and west by the riverlands. A stream forms part of the boundary between the two regions, with the hills of House Wode in the riverlands and the lands of House Hogg in the crownlands.[4] An unnamed river flows south from Gods Eye into the Blackwater Rush in the western crownlands. Southwest of King's Landing are hills around Tumbleton in the Reach.[3]

South of King's Landing is the kingswood, the royal hunting forest, and the stormlands. The Wendwater flows through the kingswood into the bay. East of the kingswood is Massey's Hook, another peninsula that with Crackclaw Point forms the inlet of Blackwater Bay. Castles on Massey's Hook include Stonedance (seat of House Massey) and Sharp Point (seat of House Bar Emmon).[3]

Islands within Blackwater Bay include Dragonstone (another seat of House Baratheon), Driftmark (seat of House Velaryon), and Claw Isle (seat of House Celtigar). Also sworn to the Baratheons of Dragonstone is Sweetport Sound (seat of House Sunglass). Massey's Hook is separated from Driftmark by the Gullet. East of Blackwater Bay is the narrow sea.[3]

The kingsroad connects King's Landing with Storm's End to the south and the crossroads to the north, while the capital is connected to Lannisport by the goldroad and to Highgarden by the roseroad.[3] With the exception of Crackclaw Point, the land is largely flat. Lying in the middle portion of Westeros, the crownlands possess a temperate climate.

People and Economy

The metropolis of King's Landing is the driving force of the region, with the largest population and harbor in the realm. Trade and taxes flow into the capital from every corner of the realm acknowledging the Iron Throne, and many foreign vessels ply their wares as well. Virtually every craft and trade are practiced here, from metalsmithing and shipbuilding to alchemy. Elsewhere, fishing and farming are the norm, with a smattering of the common professions.

Along the kingsroad north of the capital, a traveler goes "past woods and orchards and neatly tended fields, through small villages, crowded market towns, and stout holdfasts."[5]

According to a semi-canon source from 2005,[6] the mainland lords of the crownlands can raise ten to fifteen thousand troops, while the gold cloaks of King's Landing usually number two thousand. The city also has a fleet of fifty ships. Dragonstone can raise three thousand men-at-arms and four hundred knights. The island's fleet consists of one hundred sixty ships, including eighty galleys.

History

Hundred Kingdoms

Dragonstone © Marc Simonetti

In the Age of Heroes, the petty kings of House Darklyn ruled much of the future crownlands, from Duskendale to Crackclaw Point. Although neighboring realms forced them to swear fealty and their lands changed hands many times over the years, the Darklyns remained one of the more influential houses of the region. In the days of the Hundred Kingdoms, the mouth of the Blackwater was claimed by the Darklyns, the Masseys of Stonedance, and the river kings of Houses Mudd, Fisher, Bracken, Blackwood, and Hook.[7]

Two centuries before the Doom of Valyria, Valyrians settled Dragonstone as the westernmost outpost of the Valyrian Freehold, becoming another power in the region.[8] In time, the middle of the narrow sea came to be controlled by the dragons of House Targaryen of Dragonstone, as well as the ships of House Velaryon of Driftmark and House Celtigar of Claw Isle.[7]

The Conquest

It was at the mouth of the Blackwater Rush, the later site of King's Landing, where Aegon Targaryen and his sisters, Visenya and Rhaenys, landed with their initial army. At that time the petty lords of the region had been subjugated by Harren the Black. Rosby and Stokeworth surrendered to Visenya and Rhaenys without fighting, while Aegon and his half-brother Orys Baratheon defeated the Darklyns and Mootons.[7] Massey's Hook and the southern shore of the Blackwater Rush were controlled by the Storm Kings of House Durrandon, but the Bar Emmons and Masseys allied with Aegon the Conqueror against King Argilac the Arrogant.[7]

Targaryen Era

Since the Conquest, the crownlands houses have historically been a strong source of support for House Targaryen, with Crackclaw Point being particularly fierce supporters. The Conqueror's councillors included several crownlands men, including Crispian Celtigar, Daemon Velaryon, and Tristan Massey. Nobles from the region such as Qarlton Chelsted, a Hayford lord, and several Targaryens have served as Hand of the King, and even smallfolk of the region are near enough to catch the royal eye for such service, such as Rossart and presumably Septons Barth and Murmison. Nobles and smallfolk alike also provide much of the manpower for the City Watch of King's Landing. The Kingsguard has also included many men of the crownlands, such as Duncan the Tall, Donnel of Duskendale, the Cargyll twins, Ser Rickard Thorne, at least six men of Crackclaw Point, and seven Darklyn knights.

At the start of the Dance of the Dragons, the Velaryons, supporters of Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen and the blacks, used their fleet to seal the Gullet and blockade King's Landing. King Aegon II Targaryen's supporters, the greens, retaliated by sacking Duskendale and Rook's Rest. The greens later broke the blockade with the Battle in the Gullet and sacked Driftmark. Rhaenyra was eventually fed to Aegon II's dragon, Sunfyre, at Dragonstone.[9] At the end of the war, the Lads defeated Lord Borros Baratheon in the Battle of the Kingsroad.[10]

The Defiance of Duskendale, a rising by the Darklyns during the reign of King Aerys II Targaryen, was a sign that even the normally loyal crownlands were losing respect for the dragonlords. Later, the outlaws of the Kingswood Brotherhood robbed nobles in the forest before being suppressed by the Kingsguard.

Robert's Rebellion

King's Landing was sacked by the forces of Lord Tywin Lannister during Robert's Rebellion, also known as the War of the Usurper. After overthrowing Targaryen rule, the new king, Robert I Baratheon, kept a crownlands presence among the White Cloaks by naming Ser Boros Blount to the order. Lingering Targaryen sympathies, meanwhile, were the reason that Robert named his brother, Stannis Baratheon, the new Lord of Dragonstone.

Recent Events

A Game of Thrones

The crownlands are sworn to King Robert I Baratheon, and the lords of the region are often seen at court. There is lingering anti-Lannister sentiment from the Sack of King's Landing, with Lady Tanda Stokeworth being among those listed by Petyr Baelish as possible supporters in a hypothetical coup after Robert's death.[11] Robert is succeeded by his supposed son, Joffrey I.[12]

A Clash of Kings

On the outbreak of war, the lords of the narrow sea gather their fleets to support Robert's brother, Stannis Baratheon, while the mainland lords support Joffrey, who is backed by the Lannisters. The food supplies of Stokeworth and Rosby help prevent King's Landing from starving during the Tyrell embargo.[13] The split of the crownlands effectively ends after the Lannister-Tyrell victory for Joffrey in the Battle of the Blackwater.

A Storm of Swords

Lord Roose Bolton sends a northern army led by Robett Glover and Ser Helman Tallhart to attack Duskendale, where they are crushed by Lord Randyll Tarly and Ser Gregor Clegane. Joffrey dies at his own wedding and is succeeded by his younger brother, Tommen I.

A Feast for Crows

Queen Regent Cersei Lannister appoints Gyles Rosby and Aurane Waters, two natives of the crownlands, to her small council, although Gyles dies of natural causes and Aurane flees the city after the queen's arrest. Dragonstone, Stannis's last remaining base in the crownlands, is said to have been captured by Ser Loras Tyrell.[14]

Houses

BarEmmon.png House Bar Emmon of Sharp Point.
Stannis sigil coat.png House Baratheon of Dragonstone.
Joffrey sigil coat.png House Baratheon of King's Landing.
House Blackfyre crest.png House Blackfyre.
House Blount.PNG House Blount.
Arms unknown House Boggs.
House Brune.PNG House Brune of Brownhollow.
Arms unknown House Brune of the Dyre Den.
House Buckwell.PNG House Buckwell of the Antlers.
House Byrch.PNG House Byrch.
Bywater.PNG House Bywater.
House Cargyll.PNG House Cargyll.
Arms unknown House Cave.
Celtigar.png House Celtigar of Claw Isle.
House Chelsted.PNG House Chelsted.
House Chyttering.PNG House Chyttering.
Arms unknown House Crabb of the Whispers.
House Cressy.PNG House Cressey.
Arms unknown House Darke.
House Darklyn.PNG House Darklyn of Duskendale.
Edgerton.png House Edgerton.
House Farring.PNG House Farring.
Follard.png House Follard.
House Gaunt.PNG House Gaunt.
Arms unknown House Hardy.
House Harte.PNG House Harte.
Hayford.PNG House Hayford of Hayford.
Arms unknown House Hogg of Sow's Horn.
House Hollard.PNG House Hollard.
Kettleblack.png House Kettleblack.
Langward.png House Langward.
House Mallery.PNG House Mallery.
House Manning.PNG House Manning.
House Massey.png House Massey of Stonedance.
House Pyle.PNG House Pyle.
Arms unknown House Pyne.
House Rambton.PNG House Rambton.
House Rollingford.PNG House Rollingford.
House Rosby.PNG House Rosby of Rosby.
House Rykker.PNG House Rykker of Duskendale.
House Slynt.PNG House Slynt.
House Staunton.PNG House Staunton of Rook's Rest.
Stokeworth.png House Stokeworth of Stokeworth.
Sunglass.png House Sunglass of Sweetport Sound.
House Targaryen.PNG House Targaryen of King's Landing.
Thorne.png House Thorne.
House Velaryon.PNG House Velaryon of Driftmark.
House Wendwater.PNG House Wendwater.

References and Notes

  1. A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 42, The King's Prize.
  2. The World of Ice & Fire.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 The Lands of Ice and Fire.
  4. A Feast for Crows, Chapter 27, Jaime III.
  5. A Clash of Kings, Chapter 5, Arya II.
  6. A Game of Thrones RPG and Resource Book, Guardians of Order
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 The World of Ice & Fire, The Conquest. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "Rtwoiaf_the_conquest.7B.7B.7B3.7D.7D.7D.7B.7B.7B4.7D.7D.7D" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "Rtwoiaf_the_conquest.7B.7B.7B3.7D.7D.7D.7B.7B.7B4.7D.7D.7D" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "Rtwoiaf_the_conquest.7B.7B.7B3.7D.7D.7D.7B.7B.7B4.7D.7D.7D" defined multiple times with different content
  8. The World of Ice & Fire, The Doom of Valyria.
  9. The Princess and the Queen.
  10. The World of Ice & Fire, Aegon II.
  11. A Game of Thrones, Chapter 47, Eddard XIII.
  12. A Game of Thrones, Chapter 57, Sansa V.
  13. A Clash of Kings, Chapter 17, Tyrion IV.
  14. A Feast for Crows, Chapter 36, Cersei VIII.