Meria Martell

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House Martell.svg Princess
Meria Martell
the Yellow Toad of Dorne
House Martell.svg
Yellow Toad.jpg
The Yellow Toad of Dorne, as depicted by Magali Villeneuve in The World of Ice & Fire
Monarch
Titles
Heir Nymor Martell
Successor Nymor Martell
Personal Information
Aliases
  • Yellow Toad of Dorne[1]
  • Yellow Toad[2]
Born In 82 BC or 81 BC[3]
Died In 13 AC[4]
Family
Dynasty House Martell
Issue Nymor Martell
References
Books

Meria Nymeros Martell[N 1] was the ruling Princess of Dorne from House Martell during the invasion of Westeros by Aegon the Conqueror.[5]

Appearance

By the time of the War of Conquest Meria was around eighty years old, fat, blind, and almost bald. The Storm King, Argilac Durrandon, called her the Yellow Toad of Dorne.[5]

Reign

Aegon's Conquest

Meria and Rhaenys by © Paparinka Art

When King Aegon I Targaryen sent ravens to all the rulers of Westeros, demanding that they yield to him as sole king in Westeros and be rewarded or be destroyed, Meria replied she would be his ally against the Storm King - but would not yield.[5]

When Queen Rhaenys Targaryen led the invasion to Dorne during the War of Conquest, the Dornish refused to give battle. Instead, they launched guerilla raids on Rhaenys's forces, then melted away into the mountains and deserts, and returned only to launch guerilla raids on the army anew. After taking the Dornish keeps, Rhaenys would find them empty, except for women and children. When she would ask where the men had gone to, the Dornish would just reply "away". Rhaenys thereupon flew on her dragon, Meraxes, to Sunspear and met Princess Meria alone there. Rhaenys demanded the surrender of Dorne, but Meria instead replied that Dorne would never surrender. The Targaryen army then withdrew from Dorne, leaving the country untaken.[5]

The First Dornish War

While Dorne had remained unconquered during the Conquest, King Aegon I did not forget. In 4 AC, he launched a new campaign against Dorne, one that would last for many years. During this First Dornish War, instead of remaining at Sunspear, Meria, along with all the other Dornish lords, fled their castles, simply yielding them up. It did not take long for the Targaryen forces to reach Sunspear, find it empty, and declare themselves the victors. Lord Jon Rosby was installed as the castellan and Warden of the Sands, Lord Harlan Tyrell was put in charge of putting down any revolts, and so the Targaryens left Dorne and returned to King's Landing.

The Dornishmen had not surrendered, however. They swarmed from the shadow city and retook the castle, and once Lord Rosby was bound hand and foot, he was dragged to the top of the Spear Tower. Princess Meria herself threw him from the window in the Defenestration of Sunspear.[6] In an attempt to retake Sunspear from Meria and her forces, Lord Harlan Tyrell set out from Hellholt to take the Vaith and then Sunspear, but he vanished in the Dornish deserts, never to be found again, in 5 AC.[7][6]

The war in Dorne continued, and Meria eventually passed away, in 13 AC, upon which her son, Prince Nymor, took over, and immediately started negotiating peace.[6]

Family

Meria
 
Unknown
husband
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Nymor
 
Unknown
wife
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Deria
 


Quotes

Meria: I will not fight you, nor will I kneel to you. Dorne has no king. Tell your brother that.

Rhaenys: I shall, but we will come again, Princess, and the next time we shall come with fire and blood.

Meria: Your words. Ours are Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken. You may burn us, my lady ... but you will not bend us, break us, or make us bow. This is Dorne. You are not wanted here. Return at your peril.[5]

—Meria and Rhaenys Targaryen

Notes

  1. Notes taken from readings of Gyldayn's account of the Conquest prior to the release of The World of Ice & Fire listed her name incorrectly as Mirram Martell (So Spake Martin: Chicon 7 Reading (September 02, 2012)) and Mariya Martell (Wertzone: The Full Story of the Targaryen Conquest (September 04, 2012)).

References

  1. Fire & Blood, Aegon's Conquest.
  2. Fire & Blood, Reign of the Dragon - The Wars of King Aegon I.
  3. See the Meria Martell calculation.
  4. The World of Ice & Fire, Dorne Against the Dragons.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 The World of Ice & Fire, The Reign of the Dragons: The Conquest.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 The World of Ice & Fire, Dorne: Dorne Against the Dragons.
  7. The World of Ice & Fire, The Reach: House Tyrell.
Unknown
Last known title holder:
Red Princes
Princess of Dorne
Lady of Sunspear

?–13 AC
Succeeded by