The Glory of the Seven Gods of Ice and Fire

Chapter 268: The Loser of the Succession War (7k)

The defeated in the Wars of Succession

1. The Stark family
As the first noble family involved in the War of Succession, the Stark family was both lucky and unfortunate. On the one hand, in this fierce civil war, even though they were scattered all over the country, no one from the main branch of the Stark family died, which was an incredible miracle. Many people believed that they were blessed by the gods of the north.

However, on the other hand, the fortunes of the Stark family were completely changed in the war: their prestige was severely damaged, their strength was weakened, and the title of Duke of the North was no longer hereditary in the family. They were forced to compete with the Boltons and Manderlys for the title - and the final result was entirely up to the king. Since then, the situation of the North being the only one for thousands of years has been broken, and the Stark family can no longer sit on the mountain and watch the fight between tigers like they did in the Dance with the Dragons.

At the end of the war, Eddard Stark, who was rescued from the mine by the kingdom's army, was restored to the position of Earl of Winterfell. On the one hand, he tried his best to restore the family's strength and reconcile the relationship with his former vassals. On the other hand, he also tried his best to fight for the title of Duke of the North, which was in dispute due to the civil war. In the more than ten years since Eddard's restoration, although the title of Duke of the North was vacant, thanks to Eddard's prestige in the North, even his main competitors Bolton and Manderly did not have fierce conflicts with him. In a sense, although he lost the title, he was still the Duke of the North.

However, for the Stark family at this time, every good news comes with a bad news: although Eddard still maintains a solid reputation and prestige in the North, after more than a year of hard labor in the mines, his health is no longer as good as before, and he eventually died in middle age due to the recurrence of an old illness. People at the time all regretted this.

After Eddard Stark died, his eldest son Robb Stark took over as the Lord of Winterfell. Knowing that his reputation was ruined, Robb gave up the opportunity to compete for the Guardian of the North and only focused on his family's territory and the king's call. In the civil administration of the territory, he relied too much on his trusted followers, so although he did not achieve much, there was no disaster either; in commanding military affairs, Robb proved his ability to the world. During the Tollett Dynasty, he participated in many wars as a cavalry general, especially the fierce battles in the East, in which he had a remarkable record. Therefore, the world believes that he is an excellent military general, but also a bad ruler. Combined with the performance of the Lord of Winterfell in the War of Succession, some people imitated the practice of giving nicknames to the kings of the North and gave Robb the nickname "Lost Lander", which indeed accompanied Robb throughout his life.

In his later years, Robb Stark chose to abdicate. Since he never married again and had no offspring after his marriage to Jeyne Westerling, the candidate to inherit Winterfell was one of his brothers, Rickon Stark. After personally crowning his brother, Robb Stark left the celebration of Winterfell alone. He then went to the Wall to join the Night's Watch and continue his unfinished oath. He eventually died there and slept with his brothers in the Legion.

As Eddard's second son, Bran Stark should have been his brother's deputy, but he was paralyzed for life due to a tragic accident in his youth, lost his fertility and inheritance rights. He lived in Winterfell to recover from his injuries throughout the war and finally escaped all disasters. After the war subsided, Bran's injuries improved. He went to the academy to study in his youth, filled his life with vast knowledge, and eventually became a knowledgeable and respected elder. However, when King Corron I was in power, Bran Stark disappeared unexpectedly during an academy investigation beyond the wall. All traces of his existence in the world disappeared in the endless snow, and no one knew his end.

Rickon Stark was just an ignorant child when the War of Succession broke out. Fate made him the heir of Winterfell, a lucky man like Aegon V. Because Robb was unmarried and Bran was infertile, Rickon was trained as the heir of the family early on. After Robb abdicated, Rickon Stark inherited the title of Earl of Winterfell. As of the time of writing, this "lucky man" is old, but still rules Winterfell. As he governs the territory well, this earl may become the next Warden of the North and continue to expand his own lucky deeds.

As one of the two Stark ladies who went south to seek marriage opportunities, Sansa Stark was fortunate enough to become Joffrey Baratheon's fiancée, but the chaos of the kingdom's civil war soon disrupted her fate; during the entire civil war, she was almost held hostage by the Baratheon royal family in King's Landing, and may even have been on the verge of life and death several times. After the war, the Stark lady quickly left the capital of the kingdom, and since then tried not to return to this city that brought her dreams and nightmares.

A few years after the war, Sansa Stark married Harold Hardon, the guardian of the valley, at the behest of the king and his father; since then, records about this lady have become less and less, but we can still be sure that she gave birth to several healthy children for her husband, and enjoyed a peaceful life, no longer troubled by the nightmares in those big cities.

Arya Stark has a different story and a similar ending to her sister. During the civil war, she and Robert's son Gendry were protected by the eunuch Varys several times and lived together for a long time, so the two of them formed a good relationship. Therefore, when Arya came of age, the Stark family and the Baratheon family also went with the flow to reach a marriage between her and Gendry. When Gendry was granted the eastern territory under the order of Hugo I, Arya also went with her husband.

Arya Stark is a recognized extraordinary woman. She does not care about the red tape of noble ladies, but is fascinated by martial arts, military tactics and knowledge. With the support of her husband, she spent a lot of time and money learning the above contents, and finally she did learn something and even turned back to help her husband govern his territory.

Arya's life experience is a legend in the known world. She is often compared with a contemporary noblewoman, Brienne of Tarth, who was a famous knight and lord active in the War of Succession and the Age of Hugo. People often discuss which of the two women has better martial arts and abilities. At the same time, because Arya Stark's experience is too legendary, many literary creations in later generations refer to her and Gendry's life stories: if readers find that the protagonist of a story starts a story with the illegitimate son of a noble after a series of coincidences, it must refer to the life of Ms. Stark.

2. House Tully

Perhaps it was fate that the Tully family of Riverrun prospered through a risky speculation, and eventually fell because of ignoring a risky speculation. In the War of Succession after the death of King Robert, the Tullys' wrong decisions caused the family to suffer heavy losses, a large amount of land was taken away, and the identity and status of the river rulers also left them: in the end, the Tully family returned to being an ordinary river lord, submitting to the Twins, which they once despised.

The following history of the Tully family was uneventful. They returned to where they should have been. Edmure Tully and his heirs focused on building the family's territory and basically did not participate in external disputes. This earned the Tully family a good reputation among the people, but it also meant the Tully family's withdrawal from the political stage of the kingdom.

3. House Tyrell
As one of the many descendants of the Greenhand King in the River Reach, the Tyrell family, which originated from the blood of the Gardener King's Steward, is not considered noble in the River Reach. Therefore, the River Reach has always faced the dilemma of powerful vassals and weak master families; however, in the generation of Mace Tyrell, relying on the marriage activities led by the Queen of Thorns, the Tyrell family once integrated the River Reach into a whole, and also allowed this centrifugal territory to burst out with unprecedented powerful combat power.

But even so, with the death of Queen Daenerys, the Tyrell family paid a heavy price for standing on the wrong side. A large number of members died in the war, and the remaining survivors either changed their identities or fled to the east after the futile resistance. Among them, some members gained a place in the court of the Prime Minister and preserved the family flame; for example, Mace Tyrell's two surviving sons, Willas Tyrell and Garlan Tyrell, were first accepted by the Prime Minister, and later held high positions when King Rhaegal I was in power. In a sense, they also revived the family.

As for those Tyrells who did not hide or flee, they were either too insignificant side branches, or women and elderly people who did not have time to move, such as the king's widow Margaery Tyrell and the "Queen of Thorns" Olenna Redwyne. The former later remarried a minor noble, and the latter, due to her old age and frailty and the demise of the Redwyne family, was allowed by Hugo to continue living in Highgarden and live out her life with dignity - although this meant ubiquitous surveillance.

In short, with the disappearance and death of these people, the history of the Tyrell family in Westeros has come to an end, and the Rose Emblem will continue its story in the new world of the East.

4. House Martell
As the rulers of Dorne, the Martell family resolutely resisted enemies from all over the kingdom in the Dorne Expedition, but this time they failed to withstand the conquering army from the north like their ancestors did; soon, the main branch of the Martell family who remained in Westeros suffered a devastating blow, Doran Martell, Oberyn Martell and Quentyn Martell were killed in the "cleansing of Dorne" one after another, Arianne Martell disappeared, and only Doran's youngest son Trystane Martell survived: Doran's wife Melario was a Norvos, and when she was trapped in Dorne, Norvos sent envoys to plead for her, and Hugo I also allowed the city-state to use ships to rescue Melario and her entourage. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Prince Doran managed to keep his bloodline going; and after arriving in Norvos, Trystane Martell was immediately hidden and protected by his mother's family until he reappeared in the Corlon era.

The branch of Martell starting with Trystane was later called the Martell House of Norvos. As the ancestor of the family, Trystane never expressed any opinion on the war in Dorne, and never returned to the kingdom. He concentrated on serving God and did not care about political affairs. Under his influence, many of Trystane's descendants became bearded monks.

A few years after the end of the Dorne expedition, Arianne Martell reappeared from the desert. She led some surviving loyalists and took advantage of the oppression of the people of Dorne by foreign lords to start activities again, intending to constantly shake these invaders through conspiracy and intrigue. However, perhaps because of her poor personal ability, or perhaps because the environment for resistance has been greatly reduced, many of her plans did not cause damage, but became a joke in the mouths of the lords. Fortunately, the lords were suspicious of each other and fighting internally, and many Dornish people still supported her, so Arianne was not wiped out by these outsiders.

Finally, after determining that continued resistance was futile, Arianne led the remaining survivors on a journey eastward, returning along the path her ancestors had taken. They eventually arrived in the Kingdom of the Gulf and were given a place by the Prime Minister. Her descendants called themselves the main branch of House Martell.

At the same time as Dorne was being purged, the Martell forces in the Rhoyne region also began to decline: when the news of Oberyn Martell's death spread, the daughters of the Red Viper divided and inherited their father's territory. Since there was no evidence that they had participated in the civil war with their father, Hugo I acquiesced to the Sand Snakes' self-cutting inheritance, but they were still closely monitored by the officials and garrisons of the kingdom until they died. The descendants of these women are collectively known as the "Eight Sand Snakes" or "Eight Martells". Up to now, they still have a considerable influence in the middle reaches of the Rhoyne River.

5. House Greyjoy

As an important enemy faced by Hugo, the Greyjoys of Pyke thought that their family would receive ruthless punishment from the kingdom, but the development of things was beyond their expectations: Hugo I did not take any measures against the Iron Islands. He still let the Greyjoy family serve as the ruler of the Iron Islands, but required that the Iron Islands must ban the belief in the Drowned God - so Theon Greyjoy was restored to the throne and inherited his father's title.

In the past, the ban on the belief in the Drowned God would be something that the residents of the Iron Islands could not accept at all. Even though it had been suppressed many times by the Green Lands before, the local area continued to produce lunatics who believed in the Old Way - but now, due to the large-scale loss of population in the Iron Islands in immigration to the East, and due to Euron Greyjoy taking a large number of Old Way lunatics to the underworld on the battlefield, abolishing the belief in the Drowned God has become not completely impossible.

At the same time as issuing the religious ban, Hugo I also issued an immigration order to the Iron Islands: as long as the Ironmen were willing, they could go to the Eastern Frontier to obtain land - although life there was quite hard, it was still much better than staying on the Iron Islands and being pickled in salt water.

In this way, with the king's multi-pronged approach, the Iron Islands, a stubborn problem in the west, finally calmed down a lot; it was also because of this that the ambitious people in those islands, such as Asha Greyjoy, left here one after another: the Iron Islands were no longer a place that could support their achievements. If they wanted to obtain them, they had to keep going east. When the warships left the kingdom's territory, opportunities would open up to them. Due to Greyjoy's identity and the status and authority of her uncle Rodrik Harlow among the eastern ironmen, Asha Greyjoy naturally became the leader of the ironmen. Like her notorious uncles, she fought in the east for a long time, often plundering in the sea country and the Far East, and was eventually granted the land at the mouth of the Elbow River for her outstanding military exploits. Her descendants still rule here, maintaining a relationship of war and peace with various forces in the south and the east - just like the southern continent, which is as fickle.

As for the Iron Islands, during the reign of Theon Greyjoy, the iron ore resources on the islands were fully explored. Thanks to the demand for iron ore in the Green Land, this barren island gradually became richer. On the one hand, the iron ore trade allowed the islands to obtain a steady stream of materials from the mainland, and on the other hand, it firmly consolidated the Greyjoy family's rule and prestige over the islands. At the same time, with the increase in trade, the influence of the Seven Gods also came from the sea, and the belief in the Drowned God became increasingly weak. Perhaps one day, the pirates who set sail to plunder will disappear from the islands.

As the westernmost noble of the kingdom, although Lord Theon was happy to see the islands gradually become wealthy due to trade, he was still fed up with the harsh environment here. Perhaps as a result of spending his youth in the Green Land, he was very attached to the warm and peaceful land on the mainland, and therefore was quite eager to participate in the kingdom's wars - if he made military achievements, he would be able to naturally own a warm territory in the east - unfortunately, Lord Theon ultimately failed to make any special achievements on the battlefield, but he lived a long life and had many descendants; when Lord Theon was old, although he was actually in good health, Theon's heirs still jointly petitioned the throne of the country, hoping that their "old and frail" father could spend his later years on the warm continent, and this petition was also approved by the king.

To this day, Theon still rules the Iron Islands, despite having lived on the continent for many years. He is still "old and frail", but has lived longer than many of his more robust peers.

6. House Arryn

Things are unpredictable. The Arryn family was originally the victor of Robert's Rebellion and the Great Crusade, but ultimately became the losers in the War of Succession.

Due to their extreme trust in Petyr Baelish, Lysa Tully and her son Robert Arryn followed him out of the Vale: they first boarded the Myrish fleet to the south, and then followed them east after the Battle of Dragonfall; on the way to Volantis, the old duke's widow suddenly died of a fever, and her body was buried at sea according to maritime custom.

Robert Arryn, the poor little Duke lost his parents and became an orphan within a few years. Although the Prime Minister never treated him unfairly and arranged for him to be the nominal leader of the exiles in the Vale, the warm East could not cure his frailty, and his prominent status could not change his reclusiveness. In the end, the young Duke died young and without an heir shortly after he became an adult, and the main branch of Arryn was cut off.

7. House Hightower
The destruction of Oldtown almost destroyed everything in Hightower. After losing this important cultural and economic center of Westeros, the surviving Hightower people were devastated. When Daenerys assisted them in clearing out the rebels entrenched in the ruins of Oldtown, they took the opportunity to ask the Queen to stay in the south to clear out the rebels, and voluntarily gave up the opportunity to follow the army north and make achievements.

However, perhaps it was a blessing in disguise, the Hightowers missed the Battle of Dragonfall, and thus escaped Hugo I's purge of Riverbend, and were able to continue their lineage as ordinary vassal. After Hugo I made Riverbend a direct-controlled territory, the Hightowers were transferred to the east and became one of the many border lords of the kingdom facing the barbarians of the grassland.

Being on the border, the Hightower family faced the threat of war, but also found an opportunity for revival: in this peaceful era, the entire kingdom's demand for livestock has increased, and the wild horses on the Great Grass Sea are inexhaustible. The Hightowers were the first to discover this business opportunity and took the lead in developing horse trade, which benefited a lot. Moreover, these former branches have not forgotten the family's past. Relying on the wealth and resources obtained from the horse trade in the Great Grass Sea, the Hightowers have made huge expenditures in the fields of culture and religion, attracting many literati and scholars who have been excluded by the Citadel and the Academy. Relying on these intellectuals as a foundation, the Hightowers eventually established a college on the border of the kingdom on the grounds of exploring horse breeding; at the same time, the cathedral they built also attracted Archbishop Lorn of the Eastern Church, who moved the cathedral of the great territory here.

Therefore, although the Hightowers lost their backbone in the civil war and were forced to leave their family homeland after the civil war, they still managed to avoid the end of decline. Under the governance of the new Earl of Hightower, their border town eventually became the economic center of the kingdom's border and the religious center of the Great Territory of Lorn. Even the risk of invasion by the Sea Kingdom could not affect its prosperity. In the era of King Korron, this border town became a pearl on the edge of the Great Grass Sea, and the Hightower family also regained some of its former glory.

8. Redwyne Family
When Euron Greyjoy went on a killing spree in southern Westeros, the Redwyne family of the Arbor was almost wiped out. Their territory once became a paradise for the Ironborn, and a large number of local vineyards were destroyed in the melee. It was not until Hugo's army moved south that the island regained order again - under the jurisdiction of the national throne.

Fortunately, although the Redwyne family suffered a devastating disaster, a few of its distant branches still survived - most of them were merchants and vineyard owners who went out to trade before the disaster. Thanks to the efforts of these branches, some surviving grape populations on the island were discovered and preserved in time, and Qingting Island wine did not become a name in books.

Today, at the time of writing, the Redwyne family has transformed into a business alliance linked by blood. These people not only engage in various trades, but also travel far and wide to find other suitable land for cultivating the grapes of Qingting Island. The calamity of Euron made them realize how dangerous it is to concentrate vineyards in one place. Now they would rather continue to test the soil of the kingdom and try to develop new types of wine, rather than put all their lifeblood in one place.

Perhaps, in this era where people can succeed by relying on reading, writing and computing, a new Lord Redwyne will be born among their descendants.

9. The Darry Family

Just like the heavy losses in the War of the Usurper, the Darry family lost everything they had accumulated in the War of Succession. The main branch was extinct, the territory was completely deprived, and the surviving members of the family were always facing the threat of being hunted down by the kingdom... However, because of this, when the surviving Darrys successfully fled to the Gulf, the Sea Kingdom treated these true loyalists in a unique way.

According to the practice of the Sea Kingdom, Western exiles were usually placed in overseas lords, which were usually divided and named according to regions. However, since the Darry family had always loyally supported the Targaryens since the War of the Usurper, none of the survivors who escaped were placed in overseas lords. They were all granted hereditary lords by King Rhaegal I. These lords were concentrated in a wealthy area near Meereen, and the local area was named "Darryland" by the king; in the entire kingdom, this was an honor that belonged exclusively to Darry. In addition, the Darrys not only obtained the privileges of serving nobles such as tax exemption, but also received direct funding from the Targaryen royal family. They maintained a powerful heavy cavalry in the lord, and fought for the Sea Kingdom everywhere.

In the following history, the Darrys in the East devoted themselves to the Targaryens. They participated in all the expeditions of the Sea Kingdom and could be seen in every land conquered by the three-headed dragon banner. More importantly, the Darrys were extremely loyal to the Targaryen royal family. Even in the era of prime ministers, they only obeyed the king's orders. On the battlefield, even if the fighting conditions were extremely harsh, they rarely disobeyed the king's orders. "Darry don't rebel", this Sea Kingdom proverb is the best reflection of their loyalty.

10. Steymon Family
If the Darrys' fate showed the rewards of loyalty, the Steymons' fate foreshadowed the consequences of acting blindly.

In the chaos in Myr that broke out during Robert's reign, in order to pull himself out of the center of the storm, Alexander Steymond, the patriarch of the Steymond family and the governor of Myr, made the craziest move in the known world - he framed a series of unexplained related crimes on the Tranquility Fleet and even Euron Greyjoy, and directly arrested Euron's representatives in Myr. Although Governor Alexander was subsequently dismissed by the King's envoy Petyr Baelish, and the threat of force from the Tranquility Fleet outside Myr Harbor was resolved by Petyr's excellent diplomatic means, everything Alexander Steymond did was seen and remembered by the Lord of Tranquility. As long as the time permits, the Steymond family will receive a rich retribution from Euron Greyjoy.

Therefore, when the War of Succession broke out and the kingdom and Stannis's fleet were destroyed by Euron in the Strait of Tyrosh, it was not surprising that the tragedy happened to the Steymond family. Because the content is too uncomfortable, the author will not elaborate on the relevant content here. We only need to know that the main branch, side branches and people of the Steymond family did not survive the disaster, and their home castle, Longarch, became a famous cursed place in the kingdom.

However, even though Long Arch Castle is so dangerous, the power and status brought by an entire territory still drives many foolish people who are not afraid of death to go to the audience room of the national throne; they pretend to be members of the Steymon family, intending to enjoy wealth and glory by inheriting Long Arch Castle, but what they often face in the end is curse and death. When enough of these desperadoes died, Long Arch Castle was finally abandoned and became a ruin in the forest.

Facts have proved that, in many cases, making a mistake means being punished, and seeking medical treatment in a hurry will only make things worse. The Stemon family has proved this to the world with their lives, blood and bodies.

11. The Clinton Family
Historically, the Clinton family was a very wealthy noble family. However, since Lord Jon took over the suppression of the rebels during the War of the Usurper, after Robert Baratheon was crowned, the Conqueror King stripped the Clinton family of their lordship and most of their territories, and their family status was demoted from a complete noble family to a knight family.

Before the Battle of Dragonfall, Jon Connington managed to persuade the remaining Conningtonians in Westeros to join Daenerys's army. In the subsequent decisive battle, most of the Conningtonians, including Jon Connington, died on the battlefield. After Hugo I expelled the remaining Targaryen supporters from the Reach and the Stormlands, even Griffin's Roost was taken away by the kingdom to reward meritorious officials.

After that, although there were still some Clinton people in Westeros, they had no relationship with the former noble family Clinton. Some others fled to the Sea Kingdom Dynasty. Most of them later accepted the land granted by the Prime Minister and became serving nobles of the Sea Kingdom, but they did not leave any military achievements in the world afterwards. Perhaps some of them had their land taken back by the Prime Minister.

(End of this chapter)