Editor’s Note: The following contains full spoilers for Fire & Blood, the book that House of the Dragon is based on.
House Velaryonis one of the key players inHouse of the Dragon. They are one of the wealthiest houses and have the greatest armada in Westeros. They have the legendaryCorlys Velaryon(Steve Toussaint) as their lord, though the situation might get a bit dodgy when it comes to who might be his heir. Still, they are an illustrious Valyrian house during the era of the Dance of the Dragons. But, by the time ofGame of Thrones, the Velaryons are but a shadow of what they once were. The house’s name is barely spoken in the series, and some members briefly show up in theA Song of Ice and Firebooks, but in subordinate positions, not nearly as influential and important as they once were. What happened to “the old, the true, and the brave?”
House of the Dragon
The reign of House Targaryen begins with this prequel to the popular HBO seriesGame of Thrones.Based on George R.R. Martin’sFire & Blood,House of the Dragonis set nearly 200 years beforeGame of Thrones, telling the story of the Targaryen civil war with King Viserys.
The Dance of the Dragons Starts the Decline of House Velaryon
The Dance of the Dragons is actually the starting point of House Velaryon’s decline. For more than a century, House Velaryon held control of the Narrow Sea even in the face of foreign threats such as the Triarchy, but the civil war forces them to direct most of their efforts to the blockade on the Gullet.The upcomingBattle of the Gullet, especially, causes great damage to the Velaryon fleet, as well as sackings all over Driftmark. This is the beginning of House Velaryon’s decline, although it would take some decades for it to fully be realized.
Right after Corlys dies, it’sAlyn of Hull(Abubakar Salim), legitimized as Alyn Velaryon, who inherits Driftmark and becomes the head of House Velaryon.Alyn proves to be a great commander and manages to continue House Velaryon’s supremacy in the waters, but he was never a sharp political player. With the Velaryon fleet based mostly on Driftmark and the Gullet, other houses started building their own naval power until eventually the Velaryon fleet was no longer the biggest proverbial fish in the sea.
Other Houses Rival House Velaryon When It Comes to Naval Power After the Dance
Eventually, other naval powers emerged on the other side of Westeros.House Greyjoyhas always been powerful but never reliable; they attacked and led invasions into the Westerlands and the Reach. Consequently,House Lannisterdeveloped their own way of protecting themselves by building an armada based in Lannisport.For example, after theWar of the Five Kings, they are the most powerful navy in Westeros. For the same reasons, but further to the south, House Redwyne also begin to build their naval forces. Located on the island of the Arbor, they have always been prone to seafaring and grew to the point of surpassing House Hightower’s naval prowess.
Even so, House Velaryon stillheld some influence, with many Velaryons holding the position of Master of Ships in the Small Council. By the time ofKing Aerys II(David Rintoul), for example, Lord Lucerys Velaryon (no, notourLuke) plays this role in his council but is also one of the Mad King’s advisors who preys on his decline for his own benefit.Robert’s Rebellionalso drastically shifts the power balance, with House Baratheon now becoming the major naval power in Westeros.
House Velaryon is sworn to the Prince of Dragonstone, and when Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy) becomes king, he appoints his brother, Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane), as the new prince.Stannis then starts his own branch,House Baratheon of Dragonstone, to whom House Velaryon is currently sworn.
By the Time of ‘Game of Thrones,’ House Velaryon Is Only a Minor Player
In theGame of Thronesbooks, House Velaryon continues being sworn to Dragonstone, so they join Stannis Baratheon’s forces in the War of the Five Kings.Lord Monford Velaryon is even present at theBattle of Blackwater Bay,but dies as his ship sinks. His six-year-old son, Monterys, then succeeds him as Lord of Driftmark. When Stannis calls his banners to go to the Wall, House Velaryon sends a host, and Jon Snow (Kit Harington) even notices Velaryon banners among the ones of House Baratheon when Stannis defeatsMace Rayder’s(Ciarán Hinds) wildlings beyond the Wall.
In the Battle of Blackwater Bay, Lord Monford’s bastard half-brother, Aurane Waters, is captured andforced to bend the knee to King Joffrey(Jack Gleeson). He later becomes Master of Ships and even starts working on expanding the Lannister armada in King’s Landing. He even briefly antagonizes Lord Mace Tyrell (Roger Ashton-Griffiths). Still, when Aurane hears of Cersei Lannister’s (Lena Headey) imprisonment by the High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce) andthe Faith of the Seven, he flees his post, his whereabouts currently unknown.
Season 2 ofHouse of the Dragonis streaming on Max.
WATCH ON MAX
