Summary
After the wild success of HBO’sGame of Thrones, based on the fantasy book series by George R. R. Martin, the cable network has followed it up with a new series that has shown promising success already.House of the Dragontakes place hundreds of years before the start ofGame of Thrones, centering on a civil war within the Targaryen dynasty.
The first season (spoiler alert!) leads up to the start of an all-out war between Targaryen factions, one led by Princess Rhaenyra and her uncle/husband Daemon, and the other led by King Aegon II and his mother, Queen Alicent Hightower. Season 2 will likely depict a lot of high-stakes battles from Westeros' vast history, such as these six climactic ones.
Spoilers ahead!
6Battle Of The Burning Mill / Taking Of Stone Hedge
One of the earliest battles in the Dance of the Dragons, whichHouse of the Dragonscenters on, took place in the Riverlands of Westeros. Followingthe murder of Lucerys Targaryen by his cousin Aemondin Shipbreaker Bay, many houses began pledging their allegiance to either Rhaenyra’s Blacks or Alicent’s Greens, including the Blackwoods and Brackens.
The battle was a surprise ambush by the Blackwood after the Brackens marched on Blackwood territory. Simultaneously, Prince Daemon led his army to the Brackens' castle, Stone Hedge, and occupied it. As a result, the Brackens were forced to surrender to the Blacks, as Rhaenyra’s forces took control of the Riverlands.
5The Battle Of Rook’s Rest
Ser Criston Cole is an incredibly important characterinHouse of the Dragon, so it stands to reason that he’ll have a moment to shine in this extended battle in the Dance of the Dragons. After being anointed as Hand of the King, Cole marched against the Darklyns, who were allied with the Blacks, and sacked their port town of Duskendale.
Cole then marched on the nearby Rook’s Rest, where they were met by Rhaenys Targaryen and her dragon, Meleys. Aegon II and Aemond joined the battle on their respective dragons, and Aegon was badly injured by dragonfire. Sadly, Rhaenys did not survive the battle, causing conflict between her husband Corlys and Queen Rhaenyra.
4The Sowing Of The Seeds
By this point in the Dance of the Dragons,the Blacks (led by Rhaenyr)awere losing to King Aegon II and the Greens. However, the Greens were at a disadvantage should Rhaenyra’s army choose to march on King’s Landing, since Queen Helaena was unfit to continue riding her dragon, Dreamfyre, resulting in a mass call forTargaryen bastards to join the Blacks.
Though a battle did not commence as a result, the Sowing of the Seeds was an incredibly bloody event during the war. After the death of 16 bastards and the maiming of nearly 50 others, several dragons were successfully claimed and became dragonriders for the rebels. Prince Jacaerys would use these forces soon to attack the Blacks' naval fleet.
3The Battle Of The Gullet
Shortly after Prince Jacaerys assembledhis new squad of dragonriders, his half-brothers were ambushed on the shipGay Abandon, resulting in the death of the dragon Stormcloud. Jacaerys flew on his dragon Vermax to surprise the Triarchy’s fleet, joined by Corlys Velaryon, but their plan didn’t go so well.
Having had experience during the war for the Stepstones, the Triarchy’s ships, commanded by Sharako Lohar, took advantage of Vermax’s low flying, killing it. Jacaerys leapt off the dragon to save himself but was taken out by crossbowmen. Prince Viserys, who was captured from theGay Abandon, would not resurface until the war had ended.
2March On Harrenhal / Fall Of King’s Landing
After Aegon II’s injuries in the Battle of Rook’s Rest, his brother Aemond was left in charge of the Green army. Aemond’s strategy was to attack the Blacks at Harrenhal, assisted by Criston Cole and the Lannister army. However, Aemond did not predict that Daemon Targaryen was anticipating this kind of reckless attack, and had already planned his counter.
Mounting his dragon Caraxes, Daemon joined Rhaenyra’s dragonriders and the Velaryon fleet tosiege the defenseless King’s Landing. The city fell in a day thanks to the city watch’s loyalty to Daemon, while Aemond turned his fury onto House Strong and slaughtered them all, though didn’t spend much time occupying Harrenhal.
1Battle By The Lakeshore
By far the bloodiest battle in the Dance of the Dragons, and perhaps the climax of the second season ofHouse of the Dragon, will be the Battle by the Lakeshore, which occurred shortly after the fall of King’s Landing.The Lannister army marching on Harrenhalwere cornered by Riverland armies including House Blackwood, Frey, and Dustin.
The battle ended up being devastating for the Greens' armies, including the Lannisters, who were entirely wiped out, losing the Greens a valuable ally, as well as many other significant lords. After hearing of the loss, Aemond and Criston Cole abandoned their occupation of Harrenhal, as the war finally began to turn for the Blacks.
