Difference between revisions of "Poor Fellows"

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[[File:Poor Fellows.png|thumb|300px|A red seven-pointed star is the Poor Fellows's sigil]]
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{{Hatnote|"Stars" redirects here. For the coin, see [[currency]]. For the science, see [[Astronomy]].}}
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{{Organization
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| Name = Poor Fellows
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| image =  [[File:Poor Fellows.svg|250px|center]]
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| image_caption = A red seven-pointed star is the Poor Fellows' badge
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| Symbol =
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| Type  = Military order
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| Seat =
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| Region = [[Seven Kingdoms]]
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| Allegiance = [[Faith of the Seven]]
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| Current_Leader =[[High Septon|High]] [[High Sparrow|Sparrow]]
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| Founder =
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| Founded = 
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| Reorganized = {{Date|300}} <small>(reformed Faith Militant)</small>
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| Disbanded = {{Date|48}} <small>(original Faith Militant)</small>
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}}
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<!-- [[File:Poorfellows.png|thumb|450px|A red seven-pointed star as their sigil]] the simple version -->
 
<!-- [[File:Poorfellows.png|thumb|450px|A red seven-pointed star as their sigil]] the simple version -->
 
[[File:Marc Simonetti March of nine thousand poor fellows.jpg|The poor fellows are suppressed - by Marc Simonetti © |thumb|500px|right]]
 
[[File:Marc Simonetti March of nine thousand poor fellows.jpg|The poor fellows are suppressed - by Marc Simonetti © |thumb|500px|right]]
The '''Poor Fellows''' is one of the two ancient military orders sworn to the [[Faith of the Seven]], collectively known as the [[Faith Militant]]. A red seven-pointed star is their sigil.
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The '''Poor Fellows''' was an order of [[Westeros]]i, mostly [[smallfolk]], sworn to the [[Faith of the Seven]]. They were part of the [[Faith Militant]], and were otherwise known as the '''Stars''', as they used a red seven-pointed star as their badge.{{ref|AFFC|28}} Their counterparts were the "Swords" or [[Warrior's Sons]]. The Poor Fellows obeyed and answered to the [[High Septon]], as they believed the High Septon spoke for the Seven.
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==History==
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The red star of the Poor Fellows had its origins in the days of the [[Andal invasion]] of [[Westeros]], when zealous warriors carved the seven-pointed star into their chests.{{ref|TWOIAF| Ancient History: The Arrival of the Andals}}
  
==Description==
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Acting as a militant counterpart to [[begging brothers]], Poor Fellows became defenders of wayfarers on the road, escorting pilgrims between [[sept]]s. They greatly outnumbered their [[knight]]ly counterparts in the [[Faith Militant]], the [[Warrior's Sons]].{{ref|AFFC|28}}
The Poor Fellows order is also known as the "''Stars''", due to the seven-pointed star that is their sigil.  The red star has its origins in the days of the [[Andal Invasion]] of [[Westeros]], when zealous warriors carved the seven-pointed star into their chests. Their counterparts are the [[Warrior's Sons|"''Swords''" or Warrior's Sons]].
 
  
Acting as a militant counterpart to the [[Begging Brothers|begging brothers]], Poor Fellows became defenders of wayfarers on the road, escorting pilgrims between [[sept]]s.  The Poor Fellows only answer to the [[High Septon]], as they believe the High Septon speaks for [[the Faith|their god]].
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The Poor Fellows accepted members from all ranks of society, regardless of birth, sex or station, though they were led in battle by the Warrior's Sons.{{fact}} Women could rise to be leaders of the Poor Fellows:  one of the most famous examples was [[Poxy Jeyne Poore]], who led the Poor Fellows in the [[stormlands]] during the Faith Militant uprising, and was considered one of their most savage captains.{{ref|tsotd}}
  
Unlike the Warrior's Sons they accept members from all ranks of society, regardless of birth, sex or station, though they are led in battle by the Warrior's Sons.  Despite not being as trained, disciplined, or well-armed as the Warrior's Sons, the Poor Fellows are the bulk of the Faith's army. They are lightly-armed footmen who carry whatever weapons they can make or find, often axes or cudgels, and wear star badges, red on white. Some even scourge or brand the seven pointed star in their flesh.  
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Despite not being as trained, disciplined, or well-armed as the Warrior's Sons, the Poor Fellows formed the bulk of the Faith's army. They were lightly-armed footmen who carried whatever weapons they could make or find, often axes or cudgels, and they wore star badges, red on surcoats bleached white. Some even scourged or branded the seven-pointed star in their flesh.{{ref|AFFC|28}}{{ref|ADWD|65}}
  
==History==
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At the start of the [[Faith Militant uprising]] in {{Date|41}}, Poor Fellows slew Septon [[Murmison]] for performing the incestual marriage of Prince [[Aegon Targaryen (son of Aenys I)|Aegon Targaryen]] to Princess [[Rhaena Targaryen (daughter of Aenys I)|Rhaena Targaryen]], both children of King [[Aenys I Targaryen]]. Poor Fellows also tried to assassinate the Targaryens at their manse in [[Visenya's Hill]],{{ref|TSOTD}} but were stopped by Ser [[Raymont Baratheon]] of the [[Kingsguard]].{{ref|TWOIAF| The Targaryen Kings: Aenys I}}{{ref|TWOIAF| The Stormlands: House Baratheon}} They also surrounded [[Crakehall]] while Prince Aegon and Princess Rhaena took refuge there.{{ref|TSOTD}}
The order were brutally suppressed by King [[Maegor I Targaryen|Maegor the Cruel]] because of their involvement in the [[Faith Militant uprising|rebellions]] following [[Aegon I|Aegon the Conqueror]]'s death. Afterwards, [[Jaehaerys I Targaryen|Jaehaerys the Conciliator]] pardoned all those who remained, and brought the order to its end. An unnamed [[septon]] wrote a discourse on Maegor the Cruel's war against the Poor Fellows. {{Ref|affc|11}}
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Members of the order were brutally suppressed by King [[Maegor I Targaryen|Maegor the Cruel]] because of their involvement in the rebellions. Maegor achieved a great victory over the Poor Fellows in the [[battle of Stonebridge]], and defeated thirteen hundred of them at the Great Fork of the [[Blackwater Rush|Blackwater]].{{ref|TWOIAF| The Targaryen Kings: Maegor I}} An unnamed [[septon]] wrote a discourse on Maegor the Cruel's war against the Poor Fellows.{{Ref|affc|11}}
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Maegor outlawed the militant orders, offering a [[coin|silver stag coin]] for an unrepentant Poor Fellow.{{ref|AFFC|33}} Support for Maegor declined in {{Date|48}}, however, when [[Riverrun]] supported Septon [[Moon (septon)|Moon]] and Ser [[Joffrey Doggett]] of the Poor Fellows. Lord [[Daemon Velaryon (son of Aethan)|Daemon Velaryon]] and many [[great houses]] instead supported Prince [[Jaehaerys I Targaryen|Jaehaerys Targaryen]], and Maegor died on the [[Iron Throne]].{{ref|TWOIAF| The Targaryen Kings: Maegor I}} Although outlawed, the Poor Fellows existed until the reign of the Old King, Jaehaerys I. Jaehaerys the Conciliator and Septon [[Barth]] negotiated a peace with the High Septon, however, and the Swords and Stars peacefully disbanded.{{ref|TWOIAF| The Targaryen Kings: Jaehaerys I}}
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Some discrete groups of Poor Fellows, however, were rumored to still exist even decades later - driven underground and secretly preaching along the back roads of the Seven Kingdoms. By the time of the [[Dance of the Dragons]], over eighty years after the order was officially disbanded, there were two instances of anti-Targaryen preachers among the commoners who were suspected of also being Poor Fellows. In {{date|130}}, during the war itself, the mad prophet known as the [[Shepherd]] rallied thousands of commoners to riot against Targaryen rule in King's Landing, culminating in the [[Storming of the Dragonpit]].{{ref|TWOIAF| The Targaryen Kings: Aegon II}} In {{date|133}}, in the immediate aftermath of the war, the [[Winter Fever]] struck Westeros - and another suspected Poor Fellow had his tongue removed as punishment for preaching that the Seven had sent the plague as punishment for House Targaryen's incest.{{Ref|fab|Under the Regents - War and Peace and Cattle Shows}} Although both of these preachers made no secret of their hatred for the Targaryens, they never explicitly claimed to be Poor Fellows. Grand Maester [[Munkun]], however, who lived through these events, raised the suggestion in his own account that the Shepherd could plausibly have been a Poor Fellow.
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==Recent Events==
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===''A Feast for Crows''===
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In the aftermath of the [[War of the Five Kings]], the [[sparrows]] make their way to [[King's Landing]] to demand the [[Iron Throne]] protection for the Faith. A man, with a seven-pointed star carved on his chest, identifies the group as "poor fellows".{{ref|AFFC|4}}
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The new [[High Septon]], known as the [[High Sparrow]] after the movement he leads, is allowed to restore the Poor Fellows after negotiating with Queen [[Regent]] [[Cersei Lannister]]. She overturns the [[Maegor's laws|law]] forbidding holy men from being armed, and the order is reborn.{{ref|AFFC|28}} The bulk of the current Poor Fellows are members of the High Septon's movement, known as [[sparrows]].
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Poor Fellows protect [[Lancel Lannister]], Lord of [[Darry]], when Ser [[Jaime Lannister]] visits his cousin's castle.{{ref|AFFC|30}}
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===''A Dance with Dragons''===
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The [[Great Sept of Baelor]] is surrounded by a ragged horde of Poor Fellows.{{ref|ADWD|54}}
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Poor Fellows and [[Warrior's Sons]] escort Cersei during her [[walk of atonement]].{{ref|ADWD|65}}  
  
==Restoration of the Order==
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==Historical members==
During the [[War of the Five Kings]] a new High Septon was allowed to restore the Order after negotiating with Queen [[Regent]] [[Cersei Lannister]], who overturned the law forbidding holy men from being armed, and the order was reborn. The bulk of the current Poor Fellows are [[Sparrows]] and they obey the new High Septon, known by many as the [[High Sparrow]].
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* [[Septon]] [[Moon (septon)|Moon]], a commander during the [[Faith Militant uprising]]{{Ref|TWOIAF| The Targaryen Kings: Maegor I}}  Led the Poor Fellows in the southern riverlands/northern Reach around [[Stoney Sept]]. After Maegor forced the [[Most Devout]] to make a pliable puppet the new High Septon (the "[[High Lickspittle]]"), the Poor Fellows proclaimed Septon Moon as the new, true High Septon in opposition to him.{{Ref|FAB|The Sons of the Dragon}}
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* [[Rob the Starvling]], would-be successor of Septon Moon.{{Ref|FAB|Prince into King - The Ascension of Jaehaerys I}}
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* [[Lorcas the Learned]], would-be successor of Septon Moon.{{Ref|FAB|Prince into King - The Ascension of Jaehaerys I}}
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* [[Jeyne Poore|Poxy Jeyne Poore]], felt to be the most savage captain of the Poor Fellows in the Faith Militant uprising, leading their forces in the [[Kingswood]] of the [[stormlands]].{{Ref|FAB|The Sons of the Dragon}}
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* [[Dennis the Lame]], a commander during the Faith Militant uprising.{{Ref|FAB|The Sons of the Dragon}}
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* [[Ragged Silas]], a commander during the Faith Militant uprising.{{Ref|FAB|The Sons of the Dragon}}
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* Ser [[Horys Hill]], a commander during the Faith Militant uprising.{{Ref|FAB|The Sons of the Dragon}}
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* [[Wat the Hewer]], a commander during the Faith Militant uprising.{{Ref|FAB|The Sons of the Dragon}}
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* The [[Shepherd]], rumored to belong to a holdout group by the time of the Dance of the Dragons.{{Ref|TWOIAF| The Targaryen Kings: Aegon II}}
  
 
==Quotes==
 
==Quotes==
{{Quote|"The [[Warrior's Sons|Swords]] and Stars troubled even the [[Targaryen]]s." {{Ref|affc|33}}}} - [[Genna Lannister]]  
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{{quote|This debt shall be forgiven, and King [[Tommen Baratheon|Tommen]] will have his blessing. The [[Warrior's Sons]] shall escort me to him, shining in the glory of their [[Faith of the Seven|Faith]], whilst my [[sparrows]] go forth to defend the meek and humble of the land, reborn as Poor Fellows as of old.{{ref|AFFC|28}}|[[High Sparrow]] to [[Cersei Lannister]]}}
  
==References and Notes==
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==References==
 
{{References}}
 
{{References}}
  
==See also==
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{{Faith of the Seven}}
* [[w:Knights Templar|Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon]], the medieval Knights Templars
 
  
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[[Category:Faith Militant| ]]
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[[Category:Faith of the Seven]]
 
[[Category:Organizations]]
 
[[Category:Organizations]]
[[Category:Faith Militant]]
 
  
 
[[es:Clérigos Humildes]]
 
[[es:Clérigos Humildes]]
 
[[fr:Pauvres Compagnons]]
 
[[fr:Pauvres Compagnons]]
 
[[ru:Честные Бедняки]]
 
[[ru:Честные Бедняки]]

Revision as of 21:51, 2 December 2022


Poor Fellows
Poor Fellows.svg
A red seven-pointed star is the Poor Fellows' badge
Type Military order
Region Seven Kingdoms
Allegiance Faith of the Seven
Current Leader High Sparrow
Disbanded 48 AC (original Faith Militant)
Reorganized 300 AC (reformed Faith Militant)
The poor fellows are suppressed - by Marc Simonetti ©

The Poor Fellows was an order of Westerosi, mostly smallfolk, sworn to the Faith of the Seven. They were part of the Faith Militant, and were otherwise known as the Stars, as they used a red seven-pointed star as their badge.[1] Their counterparts were the "Swords" or Warrior's Sons. The Poor Fellows obeyed and answered to the High Septon, as they believed the High Septon spoke for the Seven.

History

The red star of the Poor Fellows had its origins in the days of the Andal invasion of Westeros, when zealous warriors carved the seven-pointed star into their chests.[2]

Acting as a militant counterpart to begging brothers, Poor Fellows became defenders of wayfarers on the road, escorting pilgrims between septs. They greatly outnumbered their knightly counterparts in the Faith Militant, the Warrior's Sons.[1]

The Poor Fellows accepted members from all ranks of society, regardless of birth, sex or station, though they were led in battle by the Warrior's Sons.[citation needed] Women could rise to be leaders of the Poor Fellows: one of the most famous examples was Poxy Jeyne Poore, who led the Poor Fellows in the stormlands during the Faith Militant uprising, and was considered one of their most savage captains.[3]

Despite not being as trained, disciplined, or well-armed as the Warrior's Sons, the Poor Fellows formed the bulk of the Faith's army. They were lightly-armed footmen who carried whatever weapons they could make or find, often axes or cudgels, and they wore star badges, red on surcoats bleached white. Some even scourged or branded the seven-pointed star in their flesh.[1][4]

At the start of the Faith Militant uprising in 41 AC, Poor Fellows slew Septon Murmison for performing the incestual marriage of Prince Aegon Targaryen to Princess Rhaena Targaryen, both children of King Aenys I Targaryen. Poor Fellows also tried to assassinate the Targaryens at their manse in Visenya's Hill,[3] but were stopped by Ser Raymont Baratheon of the Kingsguard.[5][6] They also surrounded Crakehall while Prince Aegon and Princess Rhaena took refuge there.[3]

Members of the order were brutally suppressed by King Maegor the Cruel because of their involvement in the rebellions. Maegor achieved a great victory over the Poor Fellows in the battle of Stonebridge, and defeated thirteen hundred of them at the Great Fork of the Blackwater.[7] An unnamed septon wrote a discourse on Maegor the Cruel's war against the Poor Fellows.[8]

Maegor outlawed the militant orders, offering a silver stag coin for an unrepentant Poor Fellow.[9] Support for Maegor declined in 48 AC, however, when Riverrun supported Septon Moon and Ser Joffrey Doggett of the Poor Fellows. Lord Daemon Velaryon and many great houses instead supported Prince Jaehaerys Targaryen, and Maegor died on the Iron Throne.[7] Although outlawed, the Poor Fellows existed until the reign of the Old King, Jaehaerys I. Jaehaerys the Conciliator and Septon Barth negotiated a peace with the High Septon, however, and the Swords and Stars peacefully disbanded.[10]

Some discrete groups of Poor Fellows, however, were rumored to still exist even decades later - driven underground and secretly preaching along the back roads of the Seven Kingdoms. By the time of the Dance of the Dragons, over eighty years after the order was officially disbanded, there were two instances of anti-Targaryen preachers among the commoners who were suspected of also being Poor Fellows. In 130 AC, during the war itself, the mad prophet known as the Shepherd rallied thousands of commoners to riot against Targaryen rule in King's Landing, culminating in the Storming of the Dragonpit.[11] In 133 AC, in the immediate aftermath of the war, the Winter Fever struck Westeros - and another suspected Poor Fellow had his tongue removed as punishment for preaching that the Seven had sent the plague as punishment for House Targaryen's incest.[12] Although both of these preachers made no secret of their hatred for the Targaryens, they never explicitly claimed to be Poor Fellows. Grand Maester Munkun, however, who lived through these events, raised the suggestion in his own account that the Shepherd could plausibly have been a Poor Fellow.

Recent Events

A Feast for Crows

In the aftermath of the War of the Five Kings, the sparrows make their way to King's Landing to demand the Iron Throne protection for the Faith. A man, with a seven-pointed star carved on his chest, identifies the group as "poor fellows".[13]

The new High Septon, known as the High Sparrow after the movement he leads, is allowed to restore the Poor Fellows after negotiating with Queen Regent Cersei Lannister. She overturns the law forbidding holy men from being armed, and the order is reborn.[1] The bulk of the current Poor Fellows are members of the High Septon's movement, known as sparrows.

Poor Fellows protect Lancel Lannister, Lord of Darry, when Ser Jaime Lannister visits his cousin's castle.[14]

A Dance with Dragons

The Great Sept of Baelor is surrounded by a ragged horde of Poor Fellows.[15]

Poor Fellows and Warrior's Sons escort Cersei during her walk of atonement.[4]

Historical members

Quotes

This debt shall be forgiven, and King Tommen will have his blessing. The Warrior's Sons shall escort me to him, shining in the glory of their Faith, whilst my sparrows go forth to defend the meek and humble of the land, reborn as Poor Fellows as of old.[1]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 28, Cersei VI.
  2. The World of Ice & Fire, Ancient History: The Arrival of the Andals.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 The Sons of the Dragon.
  4. 4.0 4.1 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 65, Cersei II.
  5. The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Aenys I.
  6. The World of Ice & Fire, The Stormlands: House Baratheon.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Maegor I.
  8. A Feast for Crows, Chapter 11, The Kraken's Daughter.
  9. A Feast for Crows, Chapter 33, Jaime V.
  10. The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Jaehaerys I.
  11. 11.0 11.1 The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Aegon II.
  12. Fire & Blood, Under the Regents - War and Peace and Cattle Shows.
  13. A Feast for Crows, Chapter 4, Brienne I.
  14. A Feast for Crows, Chapter 30, Jaime IV.
  15. A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 54, Cersei I.
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 Fire & Blood, The Sons of the Dragon.
  17. 17.0 17.1 Fire & Blood, Prince into King - The Ascension of Jaehaerys I.