House Martell

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House Martell
None (Dorne).svg
"Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken"
Coat of arms A gold spear piercing a red sun
Seat Sunspear
Head Doran Martell
Region Dorne
Title Prince of Dorne
Heir Arianne Martell
Overlord Robert Baratheon
Founder Mors Martell & Nymeria of the Rhoynar
Founded 1000 years ago

House Martell is a fictional noble family from George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. House Martell is the ruling house of the kingdom of Dorne. Their seat is at Sunspear. Their sigil is a gold spear piercing a red sun, and their words are "Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken."

History

House Martell's founding is unknown, except that they were one of the ruling Lords of Dorne which at the time was a coalition of states and petty kingdoms. Lord Mors Martell married the legendary warrior queen of the Rhoyne, Nymeria; thereafter their full surname was changed to "Nymeros Martell." The two united all of Dorne under their rule and House Martell has reigned for the last thousand years. The House follows several Rhoynar customs, using equal primogeniture to determine inheritance and styling their rulers as 'Prince' rather than 'King.'

After two centuries of fighting off Targaryen occupation, House Martell ultmately submitted Dorne to Targaryen rule through marriage between the two houses; their Martell words evoke this feat. King Daeron II, called Daeron the Good, married Princess Myriah Martell, sister of the ruling Prince of Dorne, Maron Martell. In turn Prince Maron married a yet unnamed Targaryen princess, a sister of Daeron. Since then, the Martells have ruled Dorne in the name of the King on the Iron Throne, while keeping the title Prince of Dorne.

House Genealogy

 
 
 
 
Lady
of Dorne
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Lewyn
Martell
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Doran
 
Mellarion
of Norvos
 
Mors
 
Olyvar
 
Elia
 
Rhaegar
Targaryen
 
Various
women
 
Oberyn
'the Red Viper'
 
Ellaria
Sand
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Arianne
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Rhaenys
 
 
 
 
 
 
Obara
Sand
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Loreza
Sand
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Quentyn
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Aegon
 
 
 
 
 
 
Nymeria
Sand
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Obella
Sand
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Trystane
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Tyene
Sand
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Dorea Sand
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sarella
Sand
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Elia Sand
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Current members

Doran

The Prince of Dorne and Lord of Sunspear, Doran Martell is in his fifties and badly afflicted with gout, barely able to walk and is usually confined to a wheeled chair. He spends a great deal of time at the Water Gardens, the summer home of the Martells, watching children play. He avoids the commoners and only sees his trusted courtiers and advisors to hide his weakness from his enemies. Unlike most of his kin, Prince Doran is a cautious, pensive man who does not wear his emotions on his sleeve. For this, he is considered by the other great Lords of Westeros to be very dangerous.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Doran originally refused to swear allegiance to King Joffrey Baratheon and considered supporting Renly Baratheon. However, Tyrion Lannister was able to gain his allegiance by sending him Myrcella Baratheon and betrothing her to his son Trystane, offering justice for his murdered sister Elia, and giving him a seat on the King's Small Council. Not being fit enough to journey to King's Landing, he sent his brother Oberyn to claim both the seat and justice. When Oberyn died in King's Landing, Doran refused all suggestion of going to war for vengeance. He returned to Sunspear to show his people that he still held power, and had Oberyn's warlike daughters "the Sand Snakes" imprisoned to maintain the peace. After his daughter's foiled attempt to crown Myrcella, Doran revealed to her that he had been working secretly for the fifteen years since Elia's death to rob Lord Tywin Lannister of all he held dear, and that he planned to ally House Martell with Daenerys Targaryen.

Arianne

See Arianne Martell

Elia

Doran's sister, Elia, was very close to her brother Oberyn. She married Rhaegar Targaryen, the Prince of Dragonstone and heir to the Iron Throne, and bore him two children: a daughter, Rhaenys and a son, Aegon. She was regarded as a good and gracious woman, although of delicate health. She was present at the Tourney of Harrenhal when her husband selected Lyanna Stark as the Queen of Love and Beauty, although her reaction to what was regarded as an insult to her is unknown.

During Robert's Rebellion, Elia and her children were confined in the Red Keep by King Aerys II as hostages against the obedience of Dorne. When Kings Landing was sacked, and the Red Keep captured, Elia was raped and murdered during the sack of King's Landing by Ser Gregor Clegane, and her children were murdered by retainers sworn to Casterly Rock.

Mellario of Norvos

Princess Mellario Martell is Doran's wife. While traveling in the Free Cities, Doran met and fell in love with her for her beautiful dark skin. Areo Hotah, Sunspear's captain of the guards, originally accompanied her from her native city as her sworn protector. She was angered when Doran sent Quentyn away to Yronwood to be fostered. Unfamiliar with the foreign custom, she saw it as a "selling of flesh", causing a rift between Mellario and her husband. She has since returned to her family in the city of Norvos.

Oberyn

See Oberyn Martell

Quentyn

Quentyn Martell is the elder son of Doran Martell, but not his heir owing to Dornish law. Quentyn was fostered as the ward and squire of Lord Anders Yronwood to make peace with the house, after the previous Lord Yronwood died from poisoned wounds taken in a duel to first blood with Oberyn.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Quentyn is a new POV character introduced in A Dance with Dragons. He has been sent on a journey to the East by Doran to bring back his family's "heart's desire." Doran has not disclosed what that desire is, but refers to it as "vengeance," "justice" and "fire and blood." It has yet to be revealed exactly what Doran intends Quentyn to do, but it is worth noting that "Fire and Blood" are the house words of House Targaryen, and that the cyvasse piece he held was a dragon. This would imply that Prince Quentyn's quest would possibly be to retrieve Daenerys Targaryen, the last scion of House Targaryen and the self-proclaimed Queen of Westeros.

Trystane

Trystane Martell is the younger son and third child of Doran and Mellario. He is dark in coloring, with shiny black hair.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Trystane was betrothed to Myrcella Baratheon in order to ensure Dorne's support of King Joffrey in the War of the Five Kings. The two children reportedly got along well.

Sand Snakes

See The Sand Snakes

Past and historic members

  • Myriah Martell. Wife of King Daeron II. Their marriage brought Dorne into the Seven Kingdoms.
  • Maron Martell. He was prince of Dorne. Daeron II gave him his sister in marriage although she was in love with Daemon Blackfire

Houses sworn to House Martell

  • Allyrion of Godsgrace.
  • Blackmont of Blackmont.
  • Dalt of Lemonwood.
  • Dayne of Starfall.
    • Dayne of High Hermitage a cadet branch of the former.
  • Fowler of Skyreach. The Lord of House Fowler is titled Warden of the Prince's Pass. The current Lord of Skyreach has twin daughters, who are companions and bedmates of Princess Arianne.
  • Gargalen of Salt Shore.
  • Jordayne of the Tor.
  • Manwoody of Kingsgrave.
  • Qorgyle of Sandstone.
  • Santagar of Spottswood.
  • Toland of Ghost Hill.
  • Uller of the Hellholt.
  • Vaith of the Red Dunes
  • Wyl of Wyl.
  • Yronwood of Yronwood. House Yronwood is accounted the most powerful of the bannerhouses sworn to House Martell. The Lord is titled Warden of the Boneway and The Bloodroyal.

References and Sources

This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at House Martell.
The list of authors can be seen in the page history of House Martell.
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