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 Harlan Tyrell as depicted in Game of Thrones: Histories & Lore. | ||||
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| Titles | ||||
| Allegiances |
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| Culture | Reach | |||
| Died |
5 AC[1] Dornish desert east of the Hellholt[2] | |||
| Issue | Theo Tyrell[1] | |||
| Books |
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Harlan Tyrell[1][3][4] was the head of House Tyrell and High Steward of the Reach. He was the first Tyrell to rule the Reach as Lord of Highgarden after Aegon's Conquest.
Character
Harlan Tyrell was a capable steward and lord, serving House Targaryen loyally.[1]
History
The Conquest
At the time of Aegon's Conquest in 2 BC, Harlan Tyrell served as the High Steward to Mern IX Gardener, King of the Reach, an office his forebears had held for centuries.[3] After Mern died at the Field of Fire, King Aegon I Targaryen marched on Highgarden, where Harlan yielded the castle without a fight, pledging his support to Aegon. For this, Aegon named him Lord of Highgarden and gave him dominion over the Reach as Lord Paramount of the Mander and Warden of the South,[5][6] despite the fact that the Tyrells could only claim descent from Garth Greenhand through the female line, while other houses, with older and more distinguished lineages, had closer blood ties to the now-extinct House Gardener.[1]
Harlan's elevation to Lord of Highgarden caused a number of his bannermen to voice their resentment, who bitterly complained about having to serve an "upjumped steward". However, their complaints were of no avail. Maester Yandel speculates that Harlan had been chosen as the new Lord of Highgarden by Aegon I because the Tyrells had not taken up arms against the Targaryens, whereas the Oakhearts, the Florents, the Rowans, the Peakes, and the Redwynes had marched beside King Mern.[1]
First Dornish War
Harlan served the Targaryens loyally and proved able in his lordship of the Reach. During the First Dornish War, he marched south in 4 AC beside King Aegon at the head of a massive army thirty thousand strong, led by two thousand mounted knights and three hundred lords and bannermen. Lord Tyrell was heard to say that they had the strength to smash any Dornish army that tried to oppose them, even without Aegon and his dragon Balerion.[2] The king and Lord Tyrell warred against the Dornish mountain lords in the Prince's Pass,[7] however the Dornishmen never gave proper battle, withdrawing upon sight of the invading host. Upon emerging from the Prince's Pass, Aegon divided his forces and marched against Skyreach, while Harlan was sent south against Lord Uthor Uller of the Hellholt.[2]
The Dornish sun proved unrelenting to the invaders as Lord Tyrell marched towards the Hellholt, with his men struggling to find water as every waterhole and oasis in the army's path had been poisoned. Horses began to die daily, followed by their riders; Harlan lost a quarter of his men and nearly all his horses to the Dornish sands. By the time the Tyrell army had arrived at the Hellholt, he founded it abandoned,[2] the Ullers having fled.[7]
After the Targaryens had claimed Sunspear, Harlan was placed in charge of putting down revolts, while Lord Jon Rosby was given charge of Sunspear. The king had thought the Hellholt was well situated to deal with any revolts. However, the Tyrell men sickened from the sulphurous waters of the Brimstone, while Lord Vaith and Lord Qorgyle had their spearmen cut down Tyrell foraging parties and patrols. In 5 AC, upon learning of the fall of Sunspear and Lord Rosby's death at the hands of Princess Meria Martell, Harlan gathered his remaining strength and announced his intentions to capture Vaith and retake Sunspear. However, he vanished with his entire army in the sands of Dorne east of the Hellholt, never to be found again.[1][7]
Harlan was succeeded in his titles by his young son Theo, who was much reluctant to continue the war against Dorne following the fate that befell his father.[1]
Behind the Scenes
Harlan's name is misspelled as "Harlen"[4] in the appendices of A Game of Thrones,[5] A Storm of Swords,[8] A Feast for Crows,[9] and A Dance with Dragons.[10]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 The World of Ice & Fire, The Reach: House Tyrell.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Fire & Blood, Reign of the Dragon - The Wars of King Aegon I.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Fire & Blood, Aegon's Conquest.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 asoiaf.westeros.org: The ASOIAF wiki thread – Comment by Ran, January 3, 2024
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 A Game of Thrones, Appendix.
- ↑ The World of Ice & Fire, The Reign of the Dragons: The Conquest.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 The World of Ice & Fire, Dorne: Dorne Against the Dragons.
- ↑ A Storm of Swords, Appendix.
- ↑ A Feast for Crows, Appendix.
- ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Appendix.