Invasion of the Iron Islands

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Note: The title of this article is pure conjecture and may be subject to change.
Invasion of the Iron Islands
Part of Wars of Conquest
Date 2 AC
Location Iron Islands
Result

Ironborn bend the knee

Vickon Greyjoy elected Lord of the Iron Islands
Belligerents
Ironborn

House Volmark.svg House Volmark


Priests of the Drowned God


King on Great Wyk supporters


King on Orkmont supporters


King on Pyke supporters
House Targaryen.svg Iron Throne/House Targaryen:
Notable commanders
House Volmark.svg King Qhorin Volmark
King Lodos
King on Great Wyk
King on Pyke
King on Orkmont
House Targaryen.svg King Aegon I Targaryen
Strength
Balerion
Redwyne fleet
Lannister fleet
Losses
King Qhorin Volmark
King Lodos

The invasion of the Iron Islands by King Aegon I Targaryen was part of the Wars of Conquest.

Prelude

House Hoare had ruled the Iron Islands as King of the Iron Islands since the downfall of House Greyiron,[1] and they then ruled as Kings of the Isles and the Rivers after conquering the riverlands from House Durrandon.[2] During Aegon's Conquest, however, the Hoares were extinguished in the burning of Harrenhal by King Aegon I Targaryen and his dragon, Balerion the Black Dread.[3] Aegon continued with his conquest of the Seven Kingdoms, and he was eventually crowned at the Starry Sept of Oldtown in 1 AC.[3]

War

The Iron Islands fell into chaos after the death of Harren Hoare, King of the Isles and the Rivers, at Harrenhal, and many ironborn lords and warriors were killed or captured by the rebelling rivermen as they attempted to return to the Iron Islands.[4]. Qhorin Volmark, Lord of Volmark on Harlaw, declared himself king, as his grandmother was a younger sister of Harren the Black's grandfather, King Harwyn Hardhand.[4] Instead of supporting Qhorin's claim, however, the priests of the Drowned God on Old Wyk gave a driftwood crown to Lodos, a barefoot holy man who claimed to be the son of the Drowned God.[5] More rival kings appeared on Great Wyk, Orkmont, and Pyke.[5]

For over a year, the various factions fought each other on the islands and in the Sunset Sea, and tales are told of hundreds of krakens appearing to feast on the multitude of corpses.[5] Orkmont's king was slain in the fighting.[4]

King Aegon I Targaryen led an invasion of the Iron Islands in 2 AC, with the Conqueror flying on Balerion to Great Wyk.[4] The new king was supported by the war fleets of Highgarden and Lannisport, the Redwyne fleet from the Arbor, and longships from Bear Island.[5] Tired of the fighting, many ironborn welcomed House Targaryen.[5] Aegon killed Qhorin with Blackfyre, his famed sword of Valyrian steel. Lodos, unsuccessful in his call for krakens to destroy the fleets from the green lands, filled his robes with stones and walked into the sea, claiming he would take counsel with the Drowned God. Thousands of his followers did the the same, and their drowned bodies continued to wash up on Old Wyk in the following years, although the body of Lodos was never found.[5][4] The surviving claimants on Great Wyk and Pyke quickly bent the knee to Aegon.[4]

Instead of appointing one of his supporters to rule the Iron Islands in his name, Aegon the Conqueror allowed the surviving ironborn to choose who would have primacy. Vickon Greyjoy, Lord Reaper of Pyke, was chosen by the ironmen to be Lord of the Iron Islands,[6] and the ironborn were forced to relinquish their claims over the riverlands.[5]

Aftermath

After achieving the submission of the Iron Islands, King Aegon I Targaryen continued the Wars of Conquest with the First Dornish War.[5]

In 33 AC, Goren Greyjoy, Lord of the Iron Islands, suppressed an attempt to crown the son of Lord Qhorin Volmark.[4] In 37 AC, the priest-king Lodos the Twice-Drowned claimed to be Lodos reborn from the sea. Lord Goren, however, invaded Old Wyk and Great Wyk with a hundred longships, defeated the rebels, and sent the head of the second Lodos to King Aenys I Targaryen.[7][4]

References

  1. The World of Ice & Fire, The Iron Islands: The Black Blood.
  2. The World of Ice & Fire, The Riverlands.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Fire & Blood, Aegon's Conquest.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 The World of Ice & Fire, The Iron Islands: The Greyjoys of Pyke.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 Fire & Blood, Reign of the Dragons - The Wars of King Aegon I.
  6. A Game of Thrones, Appendix.
  7. Fire & Blood, The Sons of the Dragon.