Editing Free Cities (section)

==History==
===Foundations===
[[File:FM Norvos.png|thumb|350px|[[Norvos]] by Franz Miklis © Fantasy Flight Games]]
The Free Cities were founded as colonies of the [[Valyrian Freehold]], with the exception of [[Braavos]], which was founded by [[slaves]] escaping the Freehold.{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Free Cities: Braavos}} The reasons for each city's founding varies. What made them "free" is that their leaders purchased contracts from Valyria's [[dragonlord]]s that gave them limited self-rule over their own affairs, but they called on their "mother" for aid in times of war or other crisis.{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Free Cities}}

The southern Free Cities, closest to [[Valyria]], were all founded as trade colonies: [[Volantis]] (first and oldest of the Free Cities), [[Lys]], [[Myr]], and [[Tyrosh]]. They had a high degree of contact with Valyria and each other and thus have similar cultures. Tyrosh was first created as a military outpost to guard shipping lanes through the [[Stepstones]], though it quickly turned into a major mercantile center as well.{{Ref|TWOIAF|Ancient History: Valyria's Children}}{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Free Cities: The Quarrelsome Daughters: Myr, Lys, and Tyrosh}}

The northern Free Cities, farther away from Valyria, have more diverse cultures and were mostly founded by religious dissidents seeking to distance themselves from the center of Valyrian power, who disagreed with the Freehold's tolerance for the plethora of different faiths practiced within it. [[Norvos]] was founded by [[Bearded Priests of Norvos|Bearded Priests]],{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Free Cities: Norvos}} [[Qohor]] by the cult of the [[Black Goat of Qohor|Black Goat]],{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Free Cities: Qohor}} and [[Lorath]] by followers of the Blind God [[Boash]].{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Free Cities: Lorath}} Braavos is also located at the far northwestern edge of the Free Cities because the escaped slaves who created it fled as far from Valyria itself as possible. 

Lorath was originally settled by a series of other peoples, from the [[Mazemakers]] in ancient times up to the [[Andal]]s, before they were burned out by Valyria's [[dragons]], leaving it totally depopulated. Centuries later, Lorath was re-settled by dissidents from Valyria, though the ruins of its former inhabitants remain.{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Free Cities: Lorath}}

Alone among the Free Cities, Pentos might be a continuation of a prior settlement. Some histories say it was an Andal colony where many Valyrian merchants migrated to seek their fortunes, and because they were of low social rank they freely intermingled their bloodlines with the locals. The modern Pentoshi have similar appearances to the Andals of Westeros, but the sources claiming it existed before Valyria are biased and might not be trustworthy.{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Free Cities: Pentos}}

===Rhoynish Wars===
After many centuries, Valyria's expansion of the Free Cities and other colonies into western Essos brought it into conflict with the [[Rhoynar]], a loose confederation of six independent city-states along the [[Rhoyne]]. These trade wars flared off and on for two centuries, but eventually the [[Rhoynish Wars]] climaxed when [[Garin the Great]], [[Prince of Chroyane]], rallied the remaining Rhoynar city-states into a grand alliance which threatened Volantis itself. Valyria rushed to the aid of its colony with an army of three hundred dragons, and in the end the Rhoynar city-states were totally defeated and left in ruins.{{ref|TWOIAF|Ancient History: Ten Thousand Ships}}

===The Doom===
[[File:HBO the doom of V.png|thumb|350px|The [[Doom of Valyria]], from ''[[Game of Thrones]]'' Blu-ray]]
The Free Cities continued to thrive for another six centuries, until [[Valyria]] itself was destroyed in a single day by the volcanic cataclysm known as the [[Doom of Valyria|Doom]]. Their vast empire quickly collapsed as the outer provinces and colonies fought for supremacy, a chaotic time known as the [[Century of Blood]].{{ref|TWOIAF|Ancient History: The Doom of Valyria}}

[[Volantis]], the eldest and largest of the Free Cities, attempted to seize power over the others, managing to take and hold [[Lys]] and [[Myr]] for two generations. Eventually the other Free Cities united against it, however, and the Volantenes were repulsed, though the alliance then collapsed. This coincided with the first great expansion of the [[Dothraki]] mounted hordes from the [[Dothraki sea|grasslands]] of central Essos, no longer held in check by fear of Valyria's dragons. Struggling to face the attacks from the Dothraki, further attempts to conquer and unify all of the Free Cities ended.{{Ref|TWOIAF|Ancient History: The Doom of Valyria}}{{ref|TWOIAF|Beyond the Free Cities: The Grasslands}}

Some called the city of [[Gogossos]] on the [[Basilisk Isles]] the "Tenth Free City" when it grew rich and powerful during the Century of Blood, until it was destroyed by plague.{{Ref|TWOIAF|Beyond the Free Cities: The Basilisk Isles}} [[Essaria]], near the Dothraki grasslands, has sometimes been considered the "Lost Free City" as the colony was reduced to ruins by the horselords.{{ref|TWOIAF|Beyond the Free Cities: The Grasslands}}

===Recent History===
[[File:HBO free cities Dothraki tribute.png|thumb|350px|One of the Free Cities paying tribute to the [[Dothraki]], from ''[[Game of Thrones]]'' Blu-ray]]
Over the past two centuries, [[Pentos]] has fought six wars against [[Braavos]] concerning the practice of [[slavery]] and the lands located in between the two cities. Four of these wars were won by Braavos. The last war ended in {{Date|209}} and in the peace accords, Pentos was forced by Braavos to make several concessions. These included the (nominal) termination of slavery in Pentos and their withdrawal from the slave trade, as well as a drastic reduction of the size of the Pentoshi military force.{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Free Cities: Pentos}}{{ref|ADWD|1}}

In {{Date|96}}, [[Myr]], [[Lys]], and [[Tyrosh]] united as the [[Triarchy]] after defeating Volantis at the [[Battle of the Borderland]], driving the older city from the [[Disputed Lands]].{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}} Next, the Myrish prince-admiral [[Craghas Drahar]] led an invasion of the [[Stepstones]], clearing out the pirate dens of the islands and making safe the trade lanes of the [[narrow sea]]. When the Triarchy began to impose high tolls on trade in the narrow sea, the [[Westeros]]i began to resent the Triarchy's presence on the islands. Foremost was Lord [[Corlys Velaryon]] of [[Driftmark]], who forged an alliance with Prince [[Daemon Targaryen]] and with him [[War for the Stepstones|fought for dominion]] over the Stepstones against the Triarchy, beginning in {{Date|106}}. The conflict raged on beyond {{Date|115}}, when Prince Daemon abandoned the cause.{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}

During the [[Dance of the Dragons]], the Triarchy allied with the faction of King [[Aegon II Targaryen]] against Aegon's half-sister, [[Rhaenyra Targaryen|Rhaenyra]], and her husband, Prince Daemon. They participated in the [[Battle of the Gullet]], where they took major losses. By {{Date|130}}, the "eternal alliance" between the three Free Cities had begun to tear itself apart.{{Ref|FAB|The Dying of the Dragons: Rhaenyra Triumphant}} An alliance between Braavos, Pentos, and Lorath in the [[Daughters' War]] eventually brought an end to the Triarchy.{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Free Cities: The Quarrelsome Daughters: Myr, Lys, and Tyrosh}}

During the [[Lysene Spring]], the [[Rogare Bank]] in Lys grew more powerful than the [[Iron Bank of Braavos]].{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Targaryen Kings: Aegon III}} This power increased further following the marriage of [[Larra Rogare]] to Prince [[Viserys II Targaryen|Viserys Targaryen]], after which [[House Rogare]] became involved in Westerosi politics. However, following the sudden deaths of [[Lysandro Rogare]], the head of the family, and his brother [[Drazenko Rogare|Drazenko]], the family's power rapidly decreased.{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Free Cities: The Quarrelsome Daughters: Myr, Lys, and Tyrosh}}

[[File:HBO free cities sellswords.png|thumb|350px|[[Sellswords]] employed by the Free Cities, from ''[[Game of Thrones]]'' Blu-ray]]

During the reign of the Westerosi king [[Daeron I Targaryen]], Braavos was at war with Pentos and Lys. When Daeron attempted to negotiate a marriage-alliance between the [[Sealord of Braavos]] and one of his sisters, to help deal with the pirate activity in the Stepstones, Pentos and Lys responded by sending crucial aid to the [[Conquest of Dorne|rebels in Dorne]].{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Free Cities: The Quarrelsome Daughters: Myr, Lys, and Tyrosh}}

The surviving Westerosi rebels who had fought on the side of [[Daemon I Blackfyre]] during the [[First Blackfyre Rebellion]] fled to the Free Cities, where they took work as mercenaries.{{Ref|ADWD|5}} Ser [[Aegor Rivers]], who had escaped together with Daemon's widow and remaining children, eventually ended up in [[Tyrosh]].{{Ref|TMK}}{{Ref|TSS}} When he saw the former strength of [[House Blackfyre]] scatter, Aegor formed the [[Golden Company]] in {{Date|212}}, thereby binding the exiles together.{{Ref|ADWD|5}}{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Targaryen Kings: Daeron II}} Shortly after its creation, the Golden Company sacked Qohor after the city refused to honor the contract it had made with the company. This event established the reputation of the sellword company,{{ref|AWOIAF|Aegor Rivers}} which became known as the foremost free company of the Disputed Lands.{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Targaryen Kings: Daeron II}}{{Ref|ADWD|5}}