House Hightower
From A Wiki of Ice and Fire
| House Hightower of the Hightower | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Coat of arms | Cendrée, a tower argent with a beacon on fire gules |
| Words | We Light the Way |
| Seat | Hightower |
| Current Lord | Leyton Hightower |
| Region | the Reach |
| Title | Voice of Oldtown Lord of the Port Lord of the High Tower Defender of the Citadel Beacon of the South |
| Heir | Ser Baelor Hightower |
| Overlord | House Tyrell |
| Founded | Age of Dawn |
House Hightower of the Hightower is one of the most important and powerful vassals of House Tyrell (and before them of House Gardener). The sigil of House Hightower is a stone white watchtower, with a fire on the top. [1][2] Their words are "We Light the Way".[3] Members of the house are considered loyal and stalwart.
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Background
The family is very old, existing since the Dawn of Days when they were petty-kings. During the coming of the Andals and the creation of the Kingdom of the Reach, the Hightowers allied with the newcomers. Thus they were able the keep their wealth, lands and privileges.
House Hightower rarely takes part in wars within the realm. They were integral in the foundation of the Citadel and continue to be patrons of both the Citadel and the Faith. [4]
During the Wars of Conquest, Lord Hightower had heeded the High Septon and not joined his liege lord King Mern IX on the march to the Field of Fire. Soon, Mern was dead and Highgarden surrendered. When Aegon the Conqueror arrived at Oldtown on dragonback, Lord Hightower opened his gates. Aegon spared the city, and the High Septon anointed him and acknowledged his right to rule all Seven Kingdoms.
House Hightower is as rich as House Lannister and can field three times as many swords as other Tyrell bannermen. More, if they took everyone possible out of Oldtown. The four-decked Honor of Oldtown is the flagship of the Hightower fleet.
The current head of the house, Lord Leyton, has not descended from the High Tower in over a decade. His fourth and current wife is Rhea Florent. Besides her family, the Hightowers are connected to several prominent Reach houses; Leyton's second daughter Alerie is wed to their liege, Mace Tyrell.
War of the Five Kings
In the War of the Five Kings, thus far the Hightowers have followed the Tyrell lead, declaring for Renly Baratheon on the outbreak of the conflict, and not changing to Stannis Baratheon's side after Renly's assassination.
Since the Tyrells allied with House Lannister, Alerie has been in King's Landing, where she attended the wedding of her daughter Margaery Tyrell to King Joffrey I and the funeral of Lord Tywin Lannister.
For much of the war, despite Leyton's granddaughter Margaery being married to three kings, Hightower support for causes is largely nominal, as the House continues its traditional cautious approach.
Greyjoy attacks on the Reach
House Hightower’s cautious approach changes in response to the Greyjoy attacks on the Reach. Old Lord Leyton stays in his tower with Malora the Mad Maid, supposedly researching books of spells, and sends forth his sons with varying tasks,
- Baelor Hightower is building ships
- Gunthor Hightower building up the harbor's defenses
- Garth Greysteel is training men
- Humfrey Hightower is traveling to his sister Lynesse Hightower in Lys, where he hopes to hire sellsails.
The ironborn have conquered parts of the Arbor, and are attempting to blockade the Honeywine. One attack on the harbor has already been repulsed by the defenders, but Oldtown remains under serious threat.
The Hightower House at the end of the third century
The known Hightowers during the timespan of the events described on A Song of Ice and Fire are:
- Lord Leyton Hightower, called the Old Man of Oldtown.
- Lady Rhea Florent, his fourth wife.
- Ser Baelor Hightower, his eldest son and heir. Called Baelor Brightsmile. Married to Rhonda Rowan.
- Malora Hightower, his eldest daughter. Called the Mad Maid.
- Alerie Hightower, his second daughter. Married to Lord Mace Tyrell.
- Ser Garth Hightower, his second son. Called Greysteel.
- Denyse Hightower, his third daughter. Married to Ser Desmond Redwyne.
- Leyla Hightower, his fourth daughter. Married to Ser Jon Cupps
- Alysanne Hightower, his fifth daughter. Married to Lord Arthur Ambrose.
- Lynesse Hightower, his sixth daughter. Married to Lord Jorah Mormont; now concubine to Tregar Ormollen in Lys.
- Ser Gunthor Hightower, his third son. Married to Jeyne Fossoway.
- Ser Humfrey Hightower, his fourth son.
- Lady Rhea Florent, his fourth wife.
- Ser {Gerold Hightower}, the White Bull. Lord Commander of the Kingsguard under Aerys II. His uncle. Slain at the Tower of Joy.
With unspecified familiar relationship to the main branch:
- {Walys Flowers}, son of a Hightower girl and an archmaester of the Citadel. Maester to the late Lord Rickard Stark.
Historical members
- Ser Otto Hightower. According to history he was Hand of a King, famous for his learning but a failure as Hand.
- Runcel Hightower. He was Lord Commander of the Night's Watch and tried to bequeath the Watch to his bastard son.
- Unknown Hightower queen: King Viserys I married a lady of this house, who gave him three sons and a daughter, including Aegon II, who was one of the claimants in the Dance of the Dragons. Through him the Hightowers are distant relatives of House Blackfyre.
- Ser Abelar Hightower. He was a participant of the Tournament of Ashford and heir of Hightower.
- Lord Quenton Hightower. He ordered Oldtown closed and ordered anyone trying to leave to be killed to prevent the spread of the grey plague as it took half the city. Survivors of the plague killed him and his young son in the streets the day he had those orders rescinded.
References in the books
Dunk and Egg
- House Hightower kept a foot in both Targaryen and Blackfyre camps during the Blackfyre Rebellion.
- A member of House Hightower participated in the Ashford Tourney. Ser Abelar Hightower challenged Prince Valarr Targaryen in the first tilt and was defeated.
- House Hightower is among the houses that Ser Eustace Osgrey mentions as part of his litany of great houses that Osgrey maids once married into.
A Song of Ice and Fire
- Prince Oberyn Martell and Princess Elia Martell visited Oldtown on their way to Casterly Rock where their mother was to broker their marriage to the Lannister twins. While in Oldtown they met Baelor Hightower, whom Elia fancied but Oberyn mocked after he farted in their presence. Lord Tywin later offered Tyrion as a match for a Hightower daughter, but Lord Leyton declined.
- Lord Leyton attended the Tourney at Lannisport to watch his sons joust. Lynesse accompanied her father, meeting and marrying Lord Jorah Mormont. Mormont's hall proved underwhelming, and she is now the chief concubine of Tregar Ormollen in Lys.
Sworn Houses
-
Beesbury of Honeyholt.
-
Bulwer of Blackcrown.
-
Costayne of the Three Towers.
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Cuy of Sunflower Hall.
-
Mullendore of Uplands.
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References and Notes
- ↑ The Hedge Knight
- ↑ The Citadel. Heraldry: Houses in the Reach
- ↑ A Feast for Crows, Appendix
- ↑ A Feast for Crows, Appendix
This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at Minor_houses_in_A_Song_of_Ice_and_Fire#House Hightower. The list of authors can be seen in the page history of Minor_houses_in_A_Song_of_Ice_and_Fire#House Hightower. As with A Wiki of Ice and Fire, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.
